


Shaya

by wolfish



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 13:14:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 147,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2548772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfish/pseuds/wolfish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestiltskin watched smiling his two creatures. Now they were far from one another, a thousand people between them, but soon they would be close. He saw it clearly in the warrior's eyes. With a tinkling laughter he disappeared.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once upon a time...

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, just a few things before you start reading this... thing. First of all, sorry. Yes, sorry. Because I'm Italian and I wrote this story in English, so it could be a total disaster. And that's why I need your help: if you find any mistake ( and I bet you will), please make me notice. I wish to improve my English, so, if you could help me it would be great. Thank you anyway if you just want to read my story.
> 
> I've started writing "Shaya" right after the second season's finale, then I stopped for a while and just a few months ago I wrote the ending. I will post the chapters week by week anyway as I'm still (uselessly) trying to correct all the errors I've made.  
> Anyway, if you're wondering why I had to write such a weird fanfiction involving a new character and a new love story for Regina with that character, then you have already found the answer. I mean that I HAD to do it. Yes, because if you spend almost one year of your life crying every day, and more than once per day, because you love a person that you'll never meet, you have to do something about it. And that's why I wrote "Shaya". So that I could meet Regina, talk to her, hug her, help her. So, yes, Shaya is basically me. Taller, blonder, better (not only physically). But what she says, it's what I'd say. What she does, it's what I'd do (maybe I could be a little less... violent, I guess. xD). I needed to do it. Call me crazy, but this is the truth. I went to Storybrooke, and Neverland, and the Enchanted Forest. Guess it's the magic of writing.  
> Sorry if I bored you, but I had to explain why a SwanQueen shipper doesn't write a SwanQueen fanfiction.  
> Thank you for your patience. Hope you'll enjoy reading "Shaya" as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> Please, feel free to leave a comment, whatever it is. 
> 
> I don't own any of the characters but Shaya.

Once upon a time there were two twins, Shaya and Gregory. Their father, King Roland, died two weeks before their birth during a battle against King Xavier. Their mother, Queen Farrah, died giving birth to them. They owned the reign, but the Regent reigned instead of them, because they were only little children.  
Shaya wasn't exactly the perfect princess: she often played with her brother with wooden swords, rode ponies, played games with the servitude pretending to be a knight fighting against the Wicked Witch. Sometimes, she was the witch and Gregory was the brave knight. But Gregory never wanted to play the evil wizard. He was a good kid, most of the time playing with puppies, reading books the rest of it. He loved his sister, more than his affectionate hugs could express. He took care of her. He was the man of the castle, the future king, when he would reach the proper age. He had to be a good boy. Now he was just five, but he would soon have to become a real man. He knew it. That was what their tutor, the Regent, had told him. He was an adult, he had to be right. Like when he said to him that his sister shouldn't behave that way: she was a princess, she had to be regal, elegant, mannered. She shouldn't go around with that "ridiculous wooden sword" secured to her side by an old rope, she shouldn't waste her time riding that "useless little horse", or climbing the old oak, or chasing lizards in the Royal Gardens. "Convince her that she is a female, Prince Gregory. I'm begging you. She doesn't listen to me!", he said. And Gregory tried. He tried many times. But every time Shaya smiled at him and invited him to play, holding her "ridiculous wooden sword" just like a real knight. She challenged him with her usual, screamed: "En garde!", and he could do nothing but take his own sword and cross it with hers. None of them never won. None of them would have never let the other lose.  
It was on their sixth birthday that it happened. Shaya was in her bedroom trying to undo the knots of her dress' laces, that was too tight even for breathing. But they were on her back, and she couldn't reach them. If she had called a servant, she would have never helped her, saying that she was a princess and that that dress was beautiful and she was lucky and bla bla bla. Let alone the Regent. That man, she hated him, since the very first time she had met him. He was evil, she knew it. He had never done anything wrong, that was true, but that look in his eyes, the way he squeezed his hands looking at the empty throne, the way he eyed her, so irately... he was evil. But none had ever believed her, neither her brother. He just couldn't see it, like when he didn't see her sword and she jabbed him, every time that he opened his guard to block her when she feinted, well knowing what he would have done. He was predictable. And ingenuous. And the Regent knew it. And he knew that she knew. For this he eyed her that way, and she did the same. But now he had crossed the line. As birthday gift, he had given her that stupid pink dress, and to her brother a real sword, that he could use when he grew up. She was happy for him, but angry with the tutor. He knew that a sword was the thing she most wanted! He had been so mean! So now she needed to take off that horrible pink dress and wear her boyish clothes, take her sword and hit hard something. But she just couldn't undo those knots. She needed help. Because of this she went to her brother's chamber. And she saw him.  
The Regent was holding a blade in his right hand. But it wasn't his sword. It was her brother's sword, all gold and steel and rubies. A king's sword. And that weasel was holding it. And it was blooded, on the edge. Whose was that blood? And why was he watching her that way? He looked crazy, wide eyes, white face, trembling hands. And then he was on her, his lurid hand on her mouth, his knee on her chest to hold her still on the ground. The sword was barely touching her throat.  
“ Shush, stay silent, Princess. I have to tell you a story...” he murmured, crazy face, sweated. But he wasn't wounded. Whose was that blood? Shaya tried to move, but the man was too heavy on her, she could barely breath. He laughed insanely, rolling his enormous eyes. “ Once upon a time, there was a little, mad, envy princess, who killed her brother with the sword she desired so much...”  
Shaya couldn't believe her ears. She just couldn't accept those words. Killed? Her brother was surely downstairs, in the library, picking some sentences to quote for tonight's speech...” So she was executed, and the broken, pained Regent had to take the throne...” he laughed again, eyes wide open, like hers. She didn't believe him. Everything he said was senseless. He was just gone mad.  
But that blood...  
He punched her in the face. She felt the taste of blood in her mouth. Her cheek hurt like never in her life and, when she opened her eyes, she saw him. Gregory was laying on the floor, cornered by blood, a hand stretched towards the door. Towards her. Her sight trembled, then fogged, and tears slid down her cheeks on the cold floor. Someone screamed, someone came, heavy, metallic steps. Someone took the sword she was holding. But, wait, she wasn't holding anything... Strong hand raised her from the ground, and then was only chaos, they moving, she screaming. 

The cell was cold, wet, uncomfortable. She didn't know that they had such prisons and, overall, so many prisoners. He must have given the orders. But now the prisoners were blaming her. Hate, sympathy, rage. She didn't know what was the predominant feeling in their eyes. But one thing she knew: she would not die. They so had told her a hour before. A week in that cell, and then the Council had spoken: life imprisonment.  
Another thing she knew was that she would avenge. She had to avenge her brother's death. And herself. She would kill him. She swore it on her own blood.

She didn't see the road trip. Her eyes were covered by a silk bend. Ten soldiers had brought her there, and now all of them were looking at the impossibly high tower that would have been her prison for the rest of her life. This was saying the weasel. She barely listened to him.  
“...you'll live up there forever. A spell will make appear food on your room. Another spell will hold you from throwing yourself over the window. You'll live and die there, alone. This is your fate. “ he smirked, eying her with hate.  
“ Why are you doing this to me?” she asked, softly but with burning eyes. She was dying inside. Or maybe se had died a few weeks ago. He stayed silent and sneered again. Two soldiers pushed her through the door. As she turned to look at them the bricks trembled, and then there was just a wall in front of her. No door. No way out. She was on a stair, and she suddenly realized that it was moving. The bricks were multiplying, and she was pushed up, and upper, until she was catapulted into a circular room, with only one window. She stood up and looked around her. The room was big and almost empty. Black curtains at the window, a stair to a shelf full of books, a bed beside it with a little table on its side, candles on it. A besom against a wall, the imitation of a bathroom on the other side. Shaya swallowed. She had never felt so alone. And afraid.  
A brief mocking laughter came from the window. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she saw the Regent literally levitate out of it.  
“ Hope you like it, Princess.” he said, marking the last word with a mean smirk. And then he disappeared, so quick that Shaya thought she had just imagined him. But she knew she didn't. She ran at the window, leaning out of it, but she could only stick out her head. Something strong and invisible held the rest of her body. She gazed down and she saw him, behind the squad, grinning at her. She hated him with all herself. 

 

15 years later

The beanpole hit the leg of the table so violently that it broke it. Shaya moved her wrist and hit it two times again before that it touched the ground, then moved her hand again and stopped the falling of the table. Another slight movement, and the table was upside down. She jumped upon it and began fighting against the curtain, draped in a person shape around a broken chair and many pieces of the bed. She ripped off an arm and its head. Sweated and satisfied, she let herself fall on the ground, letting go her "sword". Six training hours per day, three in the morning, three in the evening. Wash, then two hours reading, one writing, eat, draw for one hour, ten minutes cleaning, one hour combing, two hours reading again. Sleep, food, training, sleep again for the night. And fifteen years went by. Her mind still awake. Her goal still there.  
She washed quickly, then took the hairbrush and began with the rite. She unleashed her tressed, blonde, slick hair and began brushing it. Seventy feet of hair. Almost to the ground, from up there. Almost. But she needed something more, another way down. The window was out of her rage, and the wall couldn't be broken down with a beanpole. She needed iron. She needed a hammer. A big one. Or magic. She had tried. She had summoned him, but he didn't come. Perhaps, not even the Dark One could enter those walls. She had read about him in one of her books, so she knew who he was, she knew he could help her. But he didn't come. Never. And, after the thirtieth trial, she had stopped trying. But that had happened seven years before. It was about time to try again.  
“ Rumplestiltskin, I summon thee. “  
Silence for minutes. Nothing happened, again. She was condemning her foolishness when a thin, tinkling laughter came from behind her. She turned and he kneeled briefly before her, his glittering hand dancing in the air.  
“ Glad to meet you, dearie.” he said with a smirk. Shaya swallowed. He was creepy. His voice...  
“ I've called you many times before...”  
“ I know, dearie. I do apologize for my absence. I was busy. “ He smirked again and then laughed with thin voice. “ But now, Princess, I'm here for you.”  
Shaya widened her eyes. “ Do you know who I am?”  
He laughed again, waving his hands in the air. “ Of course! Everyone knows who Rapunzel is! “  
“ R-Rapunzel?”  
“ Yes dearie! You! The peasants call you Rapunzel, because under this tower grow tons of rampions! “ another of his creepy laughter.” Parents use your story as a threat: if you don't eat all the soup, you'll go mad like Rapunzel and you'll be locked in a tower!” he said, his voice growing in the end, almost a scream. Rumplestiltskin laughed, Shaya shivered. They thought she was crazy, that she really killed Gregory, and they also forgot her name. Her hate for the Regent burnt deep into her chest.  
She studied Rumplestiltskin's face, his inhuman eyes, that were studying her in turn. “ I suppose you didn't summon me just to have a little talk with me, dearie...” he suddenly murmured with narrowed, greedy eyes.  
Shaya, Rapunzel, found her demeanor: she rose her chest and her chin, and eyed him coldly. “ Indeed. I need to get out of here. Alive. “ seemed necessary to add.  
He smirked. “ Of course. But I need something in return. “  
Shaya nodded once. “ What?”  
His smile widened. “ You.”  
“ What do you mean?” she suspiciously asked. He laughed.  
“ Not what you're thinking dearie, don't worry! I mean, you're a beautiful young woman, but I'm not interested, no offense. “  
She snorted, relieved. “ None taken.”  
They smiled at each other. She wasn't afraid anymore. “ I meant, seen that you obviously have nothing to offer to me, that I will have your services when I'll need. You look to be quite skilled in fighting...”  
She tilted her head to one side. “ Probably. I've never really fought. “ she explained, pointing around the room with her hand and raising her shoulders. He laughed.  
“ I see. But you will, dearie. You will. “ He approached her then, tilting his head. “ But I shall need you in a far future. I'm so offering you not only freedom, but eternal life.” he whispered with a grin showing his rotten teeth.  
Shaya goggled in total astonishment: she couldn't believe what was happening. Was he really offering her eternal life?  
“ So...” he plowed on “...your future obedience in whatever I'll ask you to do for your freedom. “ The Dark One rose one hand and a long paper appeared. He handed her a black pen. “ Do we have a deal?”  
Shaya grabbed the pen and signed.

 

50 years later

The warrior stabbed the last enemy and kicked his body off of her sword. They won. Money assured. She smiled fiercely to her comrades, and they returned her smile, but with that hint of fear that never left their eyes when they looked at her. She was used to it. Actually it shouldn't be easy for such rude badasses to know that she could kill them all, sweating just a little. What they didn't know was that it wasn't their fault: she simply had too experience to be defeated by the same, old fencing techniques. And too much rage.  
Rapunzel ripped a slice of the dead man's under-armor shirt and began wiping the blood away from her sword. An unforgotten sharp laugh blocked her. She looked up and smiled at him.  
“ Glad to see you, Rumplestiltskin. I was wondering whenever you would have come to me. “  
He smiled widely, tilting his head “ You're the only one not treating me like a monster, dearie.”  
She smirked while cleaning the sword. “ I met a monster once. You're not.”  
Silence fell for a while over the quiet battlefield. She broke it. “ So, Dark One, what can I do for you?” the warrior asked, casing the blade.  
He laughed, pleased. “ Just one simple thing, dearie. Tomorrow a Queen of the Enchanted Forest will please the people with her presence. She wants to meet her people, and the King agrees. They will, and the little Princess will be with them. She's called Snow White. Heard about her?”  
“ Read, mostly. I've heard only about her mother's recent death. And I know that the King remarried. That's all. “  
“ You don't know who the Queen is, do you? “  
Rapunzel narrowed her eyes, a little confused. “ Right. Who is she?”  
The Dark One smirked. “ You'll know.”  
She nodded. “ Fine, but how could I arrive in King Leopold's Kingdom in one night? We're miles and miles away from it!”  
He loudly laughed. “ Oh, you're underestimating me, dearie!”  
Rapunzel smiled, feeling stupid. “ Ah, right. Sorry.” she muttered.  
He waved his hand. “ Don't you worry, little Princess.”  
He smiled at her irritation. He knew that she hated that title.  
Rumplestiltskin offered her his right hand. “ Ready, dearie?”  
The warrior loudly sighed. Goodbye money.  
She took his hand and they disappeared in the mist.

The crowd was infinite. Mostly happy peasants, celebrating the visit of the Royals. And many others were angry, hungry, embittered.  
The royal family was on an open carriage, pulled by four majestic black horses. The King was dressed in black. He was still mourning his dead wife, it seemed. The Queen was a young, beautiful woman with a sad look on her face, although she was desperately trying to disguise it with a little smile towards the crowd. Perhaps they wouldn't notice it. The King surely didn't matter, all concerned in being the authoritative and powerful figure he had to be. The little Princess, a child with long, gorgeous black hair and a wide smile on her face while she spread greetings to the crowd, neither. Rapunzel's gaze fell again on the young Queen. She was distant, but she could see her clearly. Her dark eyes, emphasized by the black and red vest and the dark make-up, were full of something that she could only interpret as pain. Shaya suddenly felt something rise up inside her chest: she felt sympathy for that woman. She could imagine her life, she knew how that stuff worked: combined marriage with an old, sad man, too concerned to think of his dead wife to ever notice that his actual wife was just an unhappy girl, probably in love with someone else. She imagined her sadness, felt her pain, her desperation. She look deeply in those dark eyes, and drown in them. Something crunched painfully inside her heart. 

Rumplestiltskin watched smiling his two creatures. Now they were far from one another, a thousand people between them, but soon they would be close. He saw it clearly in the warrior's eyes. With a tinkling laughter he disappeared.


	2. Face to face

Regina threw the glass against the wall with a scream. She was frustrated: none of her soldiers had found Snow White yet. That little coward... She wanted to crush her heart so slowly, until she would beg her to hurry up and kill her...  
Her thoughts were interrupted by one of her useless servant. He kneeled before her and announced with trembling voice: “ The...ehm...the man you...”  
“ Are you trying to say that the assassin I hired is here, finally?” she barked, hardly holding herself from killing the stupid servant. He swallowed loudly and nodded, not daring to look at her. “ What are you waiting? Let him in!” she bellowed, making him shiver. He stood up and ran out of the room. A silent, black figure entered the throne room in place of him. His skin was dark, too. A shadow. The Queen smirked.  
“ So you got my message, Bogeyman.”  
He nodded once. “ Yes, Your Majesty. I accept the mission. Not that I had any choice. “ he said with a low, growling voice. The voice of darkness.  
He didn't seem so annoyed, by the way. Regina stepped closer. “ I hope you will accomplish it. I could need your services in future. It would be a shame if they didn't exist anymore. “  
Eyes darker than hers, he eyed her with a mix of enjoyment and fierceness. She loved that look. Another smile curved her lips. “ The sooner you begin, the sooner you'll bring her here.” she suggested, indicating the exit with a slight nod.  
He nodded once, kneeled and turned to leave. But, as his feet crossed the door, the edge of sword appeared from behind the wall and stopped him. He was blandly wounded on his left arm. Knives flied everywhere, some steel-against-steel rumors, a suffocated scream when the sword found his chest.  
The Queen stepped back, one hand in flames, ready to fight. The Bogeyman fell down, dead, and the sword disappeared behind the wall. An armored figure substituted it a moment after.  
Regina's mouth was agape with astonishment: the warrior, so skilled to kill the Bogeyman in a heartbeat, was a girl. Younger than her, and taller, a blonde, thick, complex braid long to her waist. She wore a complete, ruined armor, but the helmet was missing. She was holding a little shield with her left hand, too.  
The surprise faded away quickly. The fireball flied fast through the room towards the warrior. Regina smiled, pleased: she had no chance to avoid it. But a light-blue light flashed in the room, and her fireball crashed against the wall to her left.  
The girl was healthy. Not even a little burning on her. Regina prepared another attack, but the warrior surprised her once again.  
“ I apologize for my rough entrance, Your Majesty. “ she began with strong, loud voice. Regina froze as the girl kneeled before her. What the hell was happening? “ And for having dared to fight you, my Queen. I can just say it was the only way to stay alive and talk to you.” She continued, eyes on the floor, the sword dropped on it. The silence stayed for a while. Regina was astonished.  
“ Who are you? And why on earth shouldn't I kill you?”  
“ Never said you shouldn't, Your Majesty. I'm just asking for your attention for a while. Then, of course, you'll decide if I can be useful or not. “  
Regina eyed her suspiciously. She didn't trust her, but, strangely, she didn't feel in danger in her presence. Something in that weird girl was reassuring. She waved her hand nervously. “ Go on. “  
The girl nodded with a smirk at the ground. “ My name is Shaya, daughter of King Roland and Queen Farrah, sister of Gregory, Queen of the Eastern Lands. Better, that is who I was and who I was supposed to become, about a century ago. You may know me better as Rapunzel, or the Mad Princess, as some so affectionately called me.” she glanced at Regina, smirking.  
“ Rapunzel? “ she asked in a murmur, thinking loud. “ The one that was imprisoned for life in a magical tower for having killed her brother when she was a child?”  
“ I never killed him.” the warrior rumbled, her eyes suddenly darkened by an ancient rage.  
Regina swallowed. She didn't know why, but she believed her.  
The Queen nodded once, thoughtful. “ Someone, years ago, told me that you were fighting as a mercenary in King Raymond's army, but I didn't believe him. I thought it was just a trick to scary me. “ She eyed Rapunzel with narrowed eyes, careful to hide the slight hint of fear that she was beginning to feel on the bottom of her heart. The warrior reassuringly smiled at her, and this, unbelievably, faded the fear away.  
“ You don't have to fear me, Your Majesty. I'm here to serve you, can't you see?”  
She moved her gloved hands, indicating herself. But Regina looked at her eyes, blue as the limpid ocean, in search of any lie. She was a warrior, a very skilled one, and she could use magic. And she could see what Regina was feeling. She was dangerous, although her mind kept telling her that she wasn't it for her.  
“ You can use magic.”  
Rapunzel nodded, still on her knees. “ Yes, a little bit. I've learnt it years ago. It can be useful during a battle.” she smirked again.  
“ Why did you killed the Bogeyman?”  
“ He wasn't enough for your will. I thought I had made it clear. “ she added with colloquial mood. She seemed amused. The rage grew fast in Regina.  
“ Indeed. And my guards?”  
Rapunzel sneered. “ They're sleeping. My fault. “  
A little moment of silence. Regina sighed. She hadn't killed them, at least. But still, she had a problem: Snow White was alive, and the assassin was dead. “ I suppose you want to replace him?” she hazarded cocking an eyebrow. It was the only logical reason why she was acting that way. If Rapunzel was working for Snow White, they would at least be fighting.  
“ If you allow me to, I would be honored.”  
Regina stayed silent for a minute, thinking. Something was wrong. “ And why on earth would you want to serve me? “  
Rapunzel hesitated, flinching repeatedly. Her cheeks flushed a little for a moment. “ Because I do believe that Snow White deserves to die.” she finally said, serious, darkened eyes fixed in Regina's. The Queen's heart lost a beat. None, ever, had told her those wonderful, truthful words. She knew everyone was against her there. They obeyed just because she obliged them. But this unexpected, probably immortal warrior did. And she could do nothing else than believe her words. She nodded again, swallowing.  
“ So bring her heart to me.”


	3. In the forest

Rapunzel thought her heart would never calm. It seemed that it wanted to jump out of her chest, although she was already far away from the Queen's castle. She never felt so agitated before, not even before her first battle.  
Her horse was galloping nimbly between the trees, but her armor was too noisy for her mission. She pulled the reins, stopping the animal. She dismounted and began getting off her pectoral. After a while she had got off the main of the armor, and worn a leather one that had taken from the big bags tied to the saddle. She found a shrub and hid the metal armor under it, covering it with other plants. She signed the point with a little incision on a tree next to the bush, then she mounted back on the white stallion and spurred him. 

It took her two days to find Snow's refuge. Rapunzel asked herself why the hell Regina's guards couldn't find her before. Perhaps they did. Maybe they just didn't want to kill the Princess. And they died for this.  
A rumor charged up her horse. He neighed, nervous. A hoof thumped the ground. Rapunzel looked around, but none was there. The morning light seeped through the foliages, coloring the forest with a soft yellow light. There was silence. Too much.  
A growl raised from behind a oak. A big black wolf jumped in from there, menacingly snarling at her. Her horse stepped back, shivering. Se jumped down from him and let him go, hands up, eyes on the wolf. It wasn't a normal one. It was just too big to be it. And its eyes... The wolf growled again, biting the air between them as a warning.  
“ Don't worry mate, I'm not gonna hurt you.” Rapunzel softly said, slowly lowering her left hand. She undid the knot that held her sword to her belt, eyed fixed in the wolf's. The beast growled louder. “ No, no, don't you worry. Look. “ The sword fell down, hitting a root with a metallic sound. The wolf raised its ears. She smiled. “ See? I'm you friend, Child of the Moon.” The wolf stepped back and widened its eyes. It was surprised. Rapunzel laughed softly. “ It is not so difficult to recognize you guys. You're enormous!” she laughed again, pleased to see the wolf wag briefly its tail. She returned serious and continued. “ I'm here because I'm searching Snow White...” The wolf's ears lowered back. “ ...Regina sent me here...” It restarted snarling. “... but I'm here just to impede Snow White's death!” she quickly finished, surprising again the animal. “ I know you can feel if I'm lying. “  
The wolf sniffed the air, yellow eyes inside blue ones. Then it suddenly turned and walked away. Rapunzel smiled and grabbed the sword before following it.

“ Red? Why are you still...” A beautiful voice reached her ears before the unexpected aspect of the princess could hit her eyes. She seemed nothing more than a bandit. Suddenly, an arrow pointed at her chest. “ Who are you?” the girl spelled angrily, causing her smirk.  
“ Rapunzel. Your guard has already checked my intentions.”  
Snow White looked at the wolf. Something passed between them. When the wolf entered trotting in the refuge Snow reluctantly lowered her bow. “ Rapunzel lived a hundred years ago.”  
“ Mh, a little less. But, don't worry, I can understand the confusion. “  
“ What do you want?”  
“ Warn you. You have to leave this place, I found you in just two days. Second, you're still alive just because I killed the assassin Regina was sending here. Third, I can protect you only once. When I'll leave, find an army and prepare: I probably can't stop her. She'll try again.”  
Snow was looking at her like if she was crazy. “ Are you going back to her?”  
Something passed in the warrior's eyes. “ Aye. Perhaps I can't stop her, but I can try.”  
“ She will kill you!”  
Rapunzel saddened. “ Aye, probably. “  
The bandit princess looked speechless. “ What... W-why are you doing this? If you know she's too powerful to fight her...”  
“ Never talked 'bout fighting, Princess.” the warrior murmured glancing down, leaving Snow really speechless. She evidently couldn't think another way to stop the Queen.  
“ How...”  
“ Words!” a third voice exclaimed, coming out from the refuge. A tall, slender woman appeared, dark and wild hair cornering her cute face. She seemed amused, and eyed Rapunzel with a strange look she didn't understand. “ You know, they can be useful sometimes. Isn't it?”  
Rapunzel quietly laughed. Snow frowned and alternated her gaze between the two women: she was confused, as her big eyes and uncertain voice witnessed. “ She won't listen...”  
“ Perhaps. But I have to try.”  
“ Why? If you're doing this to save me, stop! I don't...”  
“ With all due respect Princess, I'm not. “ The questioning look on Snow's face pushed Rapunzel to continue. “ I have my reasons, Snow White. Don't worry about me.”  
The warrior sighed and looked around, enjoying the beautiful sight of the forest. “ What's your name, Child of the Moon?” she asked after a little, curiously eying the taller girl. The werewolf smiled.  
“ Red. “  
Rapunzel bowed. “ Honored to know you. “  
The girl seemed embarrassed, and slightly blushed. “ Oh, well, uhm, the honor is mine...? “  
Rapunzel tilted her head before looking back at Snow White. The Princess, as awakened by her gaze, repeatedly blinked, swallowing. She was staring at the warrior. Rapunzel snorted, smiling at her.  
“ Aye, mine might even be an unusual outfit for a woman, but your appearance is surprising too, Princess.”  
She stifled a laughter. “ I can imagine. Oh, and, about Red, she's not my guard! She's a friend.”  
Rapunzel nodded, noticing the grateful look Red gave to Snow. “ Aye, I understood it by the way she growled the moment I named Regina.” she laughed, causing the bitter hilarity of the others  
Snow stopped laughing before Red, and gazed at her. “ I... don't know. There's something familiar about you...”  
Rapunzel's lips stretched into the tiniest of the smiles. “ I saw you once, and I don't know if you saw me too. You, your father and Regina were on a carriage, visiting the people, years ago. Perhaps you spotted me there. “  
The princess narrowed her eyes, thinking. “ Maybe.” she murmured, and then, suddenly, saddened. It seemed that thoughts hit her mind as poisoned arrows. “ Don't come back to palace. She'll rip your heart out of your chest if you don't bring me to her!”  
But Rapunzel laughed, making her widen her eyes. She really couldn't understand her, and that was a good thing.  
“ Milady, I need you help!” the warrior said loudly towards Red instead of replying to her. The werewolf raised her eyebrows at that naming.  
“ What?”  
“ You have to wound me. Or you, Princess. With your bow. “  
“ What?!” they asked together.  
Rapunzel laughed. “ I can't just go back to the "Evil Queen" all together and expect to stay alive. I need an explanation for my failure. “  
Snow opened her mouth to protest, but Rapunzel's face stopped her. She wasn't worried at all, and she cared to show it.  
It apparently convinced Snow as she took an arrow from her case and went closer to the woman. Snow looked into her eyes, and the mercenary studied her in turn, digging in those grey-green lights, and finding only fear, confusion, pain. Rapunzel took the arrow from her hand, delicately but firmly, and suddenly pushed it through her left shoulder, quickly wounding herself. She passed the shoulder part to part with a slight growl of pain, tears in her narrowed eyes, and eyed Snow with a suffering smile. “ Would you mind takin' it off?”  
“ Oh, sure! Sorry, I was...” the woman replied, hurrying to go behind her and finally taking the arrow's edge. “ Are you ready?”  
“ No. Do it.”  
She pulled with all her force and the arrow got easily off in a moment. Rapunzel held back the scream. Red appeared at her side with a leather flask full of fresh water. She thanked her with a nod, and Red tried to smile.  
“ You're crazy...”  
“ That's possible. However, I need you to punch me in my face. I need a bruise, at least.” Shaya said while ripping a slice of her own shirt and beginning to bend the wound. It hurt like hell, but it was bearable.  
“ It's not necessary Rapunzel...” Snow intervened while cleaning the arrow from her blood. Rapunzel glanced at her: she was pale, and visibly worried. Cute little girl, she wondered how did she managed to stay alive for so long with Regina on her heels.  
“ No, but it makes everything much more credible. And I need it to be. “  
The two royals locked gaze for a while, the one trying to convince the other.  
“ When you're ready, Child of the Moon.” Shaya said without ceasing to look in Snow White's eyes.  
Red punched hard Rapunzel on her cheek, making her falter back. The warrior laughed after a moment of confusion. “ Wow! Nice right!” she laughed again, a gloved hand against the hit cheek. “ Never make her go mad at you, Princess, I warn you!”  
Snow finally laughed with her, and Red did, too. She had managed to ease the situation, in the end.  
“ Well thank you for your help, ladies. “ Rapunzel said with a tilt of her head. “ I have to go now. The more I stay here, the more the Queen gets nervous. And that is exactly what I don't want her to be when I come back to the castle.” she smirked.  
“ Your horse is east, less than half an hour away.” Red said with a sneer, immediately returned by the warrior.  
“ Rapunzel please, change your mind! Please! She will...”  
“ Kill me, you must have said this a million times today, Snow White. If you do it once again, I swear that I'll bring you to her. That could be worse that bringing her just your heart, as she asked, I remind you! “ Shaya archly threatened her, and yet she saw her shiver in awe. Rapunzel shook her head sighing and smiled in reassurance to the Princess. “ Don't worry for me. Worry for yourself: it is your heart that she wants. Ask for protection, find allies! Or she'll catch you, sooner or later. Trust me, Snow White: she won't stop until she'll have your heart in her hand. Unless I manage stopping her first, but I don't think so, so find your army! Everyone wants to help you, it won't be that difficult. Now I have to go. Goodbye, ladies.” She kneeled quickly and turned, ready to go, but Snow's voice stopped her.  
“ You're not doing it for me, nor for you, nor for Prince James, I suppose. “ Rapunzel turned her head, a wiping the fear away from her eyes. She didn't have to know. None had to know.  
“ And not even for money, I guess. There's only another person you can do this for. “  
Rapunzel held her breath.  
“ Regina herself. You're trying to save her, aren't you?”  
Rapunzel sighed as the deep, dark emotion she felt in her chest passed through her look. She glanced down, a weird smirk on her lips. She could feel their curious stares on her.  
“ Maybe I'm doing it for the Enchanted Forest's people. Haven't you thought about that?” Smart smile, narrowed eyes. But Snow didn't believe her, she saw it.  
“ You could kill Regina if you wanted, isn't it? If you could kill the assassin and stay alive, I believe you can kill her too. So, that would be perfect for the people. But you didn't. Therefore, you must have another reason to let her live, and let her kill you. And there's only one reason I can think about...”  
Snow had walked towards her while talking, and now she was right in front of her. Rapunzel towered over her. She suddenly became so serious to frighten her. “ You're smarter than Regina thinks, but you know nothing, trust me. “ She paused, glancing at Red. Sure that she wouldn't betray her, she looked back at Snow White. “ I have to go.” she said before turning and rapidly walking away. 

Snow's eyes followed her figure until they could, then leaned on Red. “ I was right, isn't it? She's trying to protect her.”  
Red pursued her lips. “ Dunno. Maybe. However, she's right: you need protection, more than I can give you. And we have to move.”  
“ Yeah, right.” Snow distractedly agreed. She sadly eyed the forest, the point where the warrior disappeared a minute before. She knew she had just watched a convinct going toward the gallows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos guys, I needed them. I don't know if the story is worth to be posted, so let me know what you think about it. If you like it, I'll go on posting the chapters, so let me know. Baci


	4. Before the Queen

Rapunzel hobbled towards the throne room. She fell on her knees before the Queen, the wound pulsing painfully. Regina was all dark: her dress, her face, her eyes. She was already furious.   
“ Where is it?” she asked, rage in her voice.   
Rapunzel swallowed, a quick look at her. “ I couldn't catch her.” she began, and Regina stood up from the throne.   
“ You, the greatest warrior of all times, the one who killed the Bogeyman in a heartbeat, you couldn't catch a simple girl in the forest?”  
“ She wounded me, she caught me out of guard. And then her wolf attacked me. She spared me, or the wolf would have killed me.”  
“ You'd have deserved.” Regina hissed angrily, her fists closed by fury. Rapunzel met her eyes again.  
“ I know.”   
She stood up, standing proud in front of the Queen, calmly facing her.   
“ I ran away before Snow White could change her mind, so that I could come here and tell you where she’s hiding before that you execute me. I'd rather die by your hand than by her arrow, my Queen. “ She paused, letting everything she felt pass through her eyes, fixed in Regina's. She saw them widen, she saw her swallow. And she knew she understood something. “ The girl is in the forest, two days north from here. Beware the werewolf. “  
Regina stayed silent for a while, eying her with narrowed, suspicious eyes. “ Why should I believe you? Why should I believe that you didn’t kill the Bogeyman only to save her, and you went there just to place a trap?”  
Rapunzel's look didn't change. “ If this was true, why would I ever come back here?”  
“ To convince me you're not a traitor.”  
Rapunzel's lips tightened in a little smile. “ I could kill you, but I chose to serve you, instead. I chose to give you the whole control on my life when with just one movement I could cut your head off. Do you really think it is logical what you're suspecting?” 

Regina swallowed. She knew she was right, but the fact that she couldn't take Snow's heart was senseless. But the way Rapunzel was looking at her... she wasn't a traitor. Not at all. She really wanted to serve her cause. But her reasons, those were a mystery. Yes, Regina had believed her when she had said that Snow had to die, and she still believed that she really thought that. But there had to be something else. The same "something" that she had seen in her eyes a moment before, powerful, deep, uncatchable. She saw it, but she didn't know what it was. It just hit her deep inside, and now was keeping her from killing the warrior. She had the feeling that there was something more, something important about her, and the feeling that killing her would be the wrong thing. Totally wrong. But she didn't know why, and this was irritating her. Moreover, she couldn't just let her go, and she didn't trust her enough to send her to kill Snow again. Rapunzel had to be punished. Moreover, by punishing her, the Golden Death, the warrior feared by everyone, no matter how powerful, she would demonstrate her power better than in any other way. Everyone feared the Golden Death. Everyone would fear her. All of her enemies. She smirked evilly.  
“ I won't kill you” she said “ It would be disrespectful. But you failed, consequently I have to punish you. If I don't, my subjects will lose the little respect they have for me. “ She eyed the other woman, studying her reactions, searching for a hint of her betrayal. But Rapunzel just nodded once.  
“ Of course.” she murmured. Confusion grew wild in Regina. None, ever, took the idea of a punishment as a right thing. Especially a punishment of hers. But Rapunzel's eyes were telling her she did. She truly agreed to what she said.   
She just couldn't believe that. None ever really agreed with her, nor her father. Rapunzel saw something in her eyes, because a hint of sympathy darkened the light-blue of hers. Regina felt naked under that look, and the anger rose in her chest. “ You'll be exiled. “  
Rapunzel jumped for the surprise. Then pain came, clear and unhidden on her face. “ My Queen I...”  
Regina lifted a hand, ignoring the sense of guilt as she was used to do. “ I though you were a servant. As long as I know, servants don't protest their master's orders.”  
Rapunzel tightened her lips and visibly forced herself to nod and kneel. “ As my Queen desires. “ she said with anger and pain clear in her voice, so that Regina could hear them, and remember them. “ Although I think that my mistress should consider the idea of giving this servant another possibility to be useful.”  
“ This Queen has taken her decision!” Regina replied, gritting her teeth. She was furious now. Rapunzel dared to contradict her. Was she rebelling now?! She couldn't accept this: the warrior was too dangerous. “ And a change of her mind would mean only your death, servant. You failed. I am sparing you, idiotic mercenary. “  
Rapunzel leaped up, rage on her face. “ Let me help you and you'll never have to spare anyone's life!” she whispered, something close to desperation in her wet eyes. Regina felt really confused.   
“ You must have fever... what are you talking about? What you said is senseless!”  
Rapunzel seemed about to say something, but then clenched her jaw and glanced down. “ Please, Regina, trust me. Just trust me. “ she desperately whispered, and then she was looking again in her eyes. Hope, pain, sympathy, desperation and...something else. Something that Regina couldn't understand.   
“ Your craziness bored me. Bring her in cell. Tomorrow I'll execute her condemn. “ the Queen ordered, confused but firm, to a couple of guards. A last look to the woman hit something inside her chest. Her sad gaze was almost unbearable.


	5. The last light

The guards came to pick her up at dawn. She made no resistance. They took her to a spoil chamber, with only a stone column with a little object on the top of it. Regina   
stood behind it, a cold expression on her face, cornered by the black, high collar of her precious dress. Rapunzel was left a step from the column. The guards left the room at Regina's gesture.  
The object was a golden ring, finely forged as a feather turning on itself. It was hovering a few inch from the column. Rapunzel sadly eyed Regina.  
“ Do you know what it is?” the Queen asked softly. There was something unmatching in the way she talked. It seemed that she was sorry, but her expression, her posture told Rapunzel the contrary. The warrior denied by slightly shaking her head. “ This is a transporter. It creates a portal and sends who wears it to a particular place.”  
“ Which place?” Rapunzel asked in a murmur. Sadness had been so intense to tire her. Now she felt almost nothing. 

Regina swallowed. The mercenary's eyes looked empty, glassy. She had already seen that look. People about to be killed had that look. The Queen took a deep breath, gathering the strength she needed to go on. It was ridiculous. She had never felt so sorry for someone, not since Daniel...  
“ It will take you where you're meant to be.” she said, distracting herself from her own thoughts. “ Only fate knows where it is. “   
A shadow passed through the Golden Death's eyes, too fast for Regina to recognize its nature. She sadly smiled. Her shoulders were so stooped that she looked as tall as Regina. “ So I just have to put it on my finger?” the warrior asked, almost in a whisper, staring at the ring.   
The Queen nodded. “ Yes. It won't hurt. I think.” she added in a whisper, secretly hoping not to be heard. What she was trying not to feel was absolutely senseless. All that inappropriate and ridiculous guilt...  
Rapunzel gave a start, then a tiny but warm smile lightened up her face. Something clamped absurdly in Regina's chest.

Rapunzel took the ring with her right hand, feeling its low, powerful vibration, studying its raffinate shape for a moment. It was beautiful, after all. A good way to leave. From a window the sunlight came with the sunrise, making the ring shine bright between her fingers. She eyed Regina, trying to smile while her heart was crushing. “ Your Majesty, before I go, I have to tell you one thing.” she managed to say with a hint of voice.  
“ Talk.” Regina nodded, her voice absurdly tensed.  
Rapunzel swallowed, trying to find the bravery to speak. “ Forgive her.” 

Regina's jaw fell open. So she actually betrayed her. Anger was consuming her, but then Rapunzel smiled, and that was the saddest smile she'd ever seen. Something painfully crackled inside her.   
“ Goodbye, my Queen.” the mercenary said with a shred of voice. For a heartbeat it seemed that she wanted to tell more, but then she smiled once again and put the ring on.   
There was a bright flash in the room, then the ring fell, alone, tinkling on the marble floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was the last chapter of what I consider the introduction, this big, semi-explicative flashback. Now the actual story begins, the part set after the second season's finale. Thank you for reading, mates ;)


	6. Neverland

The beach was a little gulf hidden by a dense jungle corner. The Jolly Roger was anchored not far away from the beach, made invisible by a spell.   
The little group reached the land with a tender, Charming and Hook at the rows. They landed and hid the boat between the plants. Emma and Snow were looking around, vigil. Regina was ready to fight, glad that magic flowed so powerful in her veins in Neverland. A quick look at Rumplestiltskin let her know that he felt the same. Magic was strong in that world.   
Snow suddenly took her bow and aimed at a point in the jungle. Emma pointed her gun at the same point. A ball of fire burned ready in Regina's right hand.   
“ What's happening?” she asked to Emma in a whisper. The Savior was the nearest one to her. Charming unsheathed his sword and went behind them, Hook at his side. Rumplestiltskin was protected by the sea at his back and by himself on the front.  
“ Dunno.” Emma replied with widened eyes, trying to understand what Snow had seen.   
“ There's someone there.” Snow answered with a low, warning voice. A rumor from the jungle confirmed her words. Regina kept herself from admiring her watching capacity: she would have never noticed anything. After all, she wasn't used to such things. The years spent in the palace and the others in Storybrooke had left her without experience in "wildlife" stuff. Snow White, on the other hand, had her time spent in the forest because of her. She thanked herself for having forced the girl to do it, and even more she felt grateful for the idiot’s cowardice, which had made her runa way in the forest at the time. Ultimately, it happened to be useful.   
“ Calm down people. Don't force me to hurt you.” a voice came from the vegetation. It struck Regina in a weird way.   
“ Show yourself! Slowly!” Emma automatically said, regretting it a second later. Snow smirked at her to reassure her daughter.   
“ Alright. But don't throw that arrow, Snow White. You'd kill me, and it would be unfair after all this time. “   
Regina swallowed. She knew that voice.   
Snow literally jumped in surprise. Charming immediately intervened. “ Show yourself now or she will!”  
A few rumors later a black boot showed itself between the dark green leaves. A tall, muscled but absurdly delicate feminine figure followed it. Regina faltered. “ You...”   
Snow White lowered her bow and her jaw dropped. Rumplestiltskin smirked, lightly shaking his head. The others were looking at the three knowing persons, waiting for an explanation.   
Rapunzel eyed Snow White and smiled at her, then bowed slightly towards Rumple, making him laugh, and finally looked at Regina. A tiny smile tightened her lips. “ Your Majesty.” she greeted her, gently hanging her head. Regina was speechless. Rapunzel seemed to notice it, but then she smiled and put her attention back to Snow White, who seemed frozen with her mouth open. “ You'll eat flies if you don't close your mouth, Princess. “   
“ You...you're alive!” Snow exclaimed, making her laugh.   
“ Aye, sort of. However...where is your hair?” Rapunzel asked with an amused sneer, making Emma stifle a laugh.   
“ Who are you?” the younger woman asked, but Rapunzel's answer was blocked by Snow, that basically crushed her in a hug. The warrior laughed hard after a moment of mute surprise, and hugged back the other woman. Regina's eyebrows lifted vertiginously.   
“ I was right, after all.” she commented with a hint of anger in her voice. “ You tricked me, Rapunzel.” Dark eyes, dark tone. But Rapunzel smiled happily.   
“ Yes! Busted!” The warrior had the dignity to blush. She let go Snow, and walked towards Regina. But Snow was still too surprised to stay silent. And she was crying.  
“ You didn't kill her.”  
It wasn't a question. She was smiling to Regina. Charming, Emma and Hook were going crazy trying to understand what had happened between them. None but Rapunzel seemed to have noticed Rumplestiltskin's amusement. Regina felt embarrassed. “ Indeed. Perhaps I should have. “ she murmured, hatred in her eyes, fixed in Rapunzel's. Snow swallowed. The fireball was still burning in Regina's hand, but the warrior seemed not to be worried at all.   
“ Probably. “ she smirked, but Regina's expression didn't change. “ But the ring sent me here, and you're here too, now. At first I didn't understand why it had sent me here, but now it's clear to me.” She eyed Rumple. “ Isn't it, my old friend?” 

The Dark One sneered, leaning on his cane to help himself to reach the taller woman. Habit. He didn't need it anymore, in truth. But the surprise is always useful when you have enemies, and let the others think he was weaker than he was...” I am powerful dearie, but not so powerful to control destiny. “   
Rapunzel laughed. “ True, but you can see through time. You knew what would have happened. “  
“ In part. I only knew about Snow White and Emma. “ he replied, a little of worry in his eyes, immediately hidden by a smirk.   
“ What are you talking about? “ Emma, Charming, Snow and Regina asked at the same time.   
Rumple and Rapunzel eyed each other and tried not to laugh. “ It's so clear you're related. “ he commented, throwing Rapunzel into total confusion. “ Let's say I may have done something to keep Snow White alive. “ He sneered at Regina.   
Charming and Snow eyed each other, then looked at their daughter. She and Hook understood each other's confusion, and shared it with their lost looks.  
“ You sent her to me? You were working for him?” Anger, betrayal, anger again. Regina's eyes were a dark, furious storm. Oh, his little, beautiful creature.  
“ No, I just made her see you. She decided alone what to do. We didn’t even ever meet again. Well, not after I told her that you had hired the Bogeyman.”  
“ What...?” Regina was totally confused. Rapunzel's eyes showed only a light worry, and some kind of regret. “ You leagued with Snow White! “  
“ I saved her life, but I was by you side. I still am.” she replied, calm but with a strange look. Something visibly stroke Regina. The Dark One repressed an inner laughter.  
“ You betrayed me!”   
“ I didn't let you do the wrong thing, Regina. I told you I wanted to help you...”  
“ You told me you wanted to serve me!”  
“ I did! I....”  
“ What the hell is happening?” a frustrated Emma suddenly asked. She was angry too. “ You're arguing while my son is lost in a shit of magic land where two fucking pieces of shit brung him against his will! He is in danger! We cannot waste any time! Shit, Regina! He's your son too!”  
Regina faltered again. She seemed outraged. “ I know well that my son is in danger, Miss Swan. But she didn't know it, and I thank you with all my heart for having just told a possible enemy that we are particularly vulnerable in this moment. Thank you again, Miss Swan. Your genius is unmistakeable. “  
Emma blushed. Snow came in her help. “ She's not an enemy Regina! We'd be dead if she was!”  
“ Thank you for your consideration, Princess.” Rapunzel jokingly murmured, gaining a smile from Snow and a weird look from Emma. Regina glared at her.  
“ Unless they want us alive. Intelligence must be genetic.” she replied as it was the most logical thing in any world.   
“ What does "genetic" means?” Rapunzel asked whispering in confusion to Emma. The Savior was very angry. “ It means that she's my mother and you, Regina, if you offend her another time I'll...”   
“ All of you, calm down!” Charming loudly intervened. “ This is useless, I guess you can see it if you just take a breath and regain your self control!” He waited a few moments then, giving them the opportunity to do what he said. He nodded, although Regina's eyes were still burning darkly. “ Fine. Rapunzel, I've heard about you. They say you're the greatest warrior of all times. We'd be pleased if you'd join our mission. “  
Regina opened her mouth to protest, but Rapunzel preceded her.   
“ I've already done it.”  
“ Fine, so...”  
“ No, I mean, Henry is really a smart boy. He told me you'd come here to save him.”  
“ You saw Henry?!” Emma almost screamed, instinctively grabbing her right arm.   
At the same time Regina stepped closer to her and asked: “ Where's he?” 

“ Relax ladies, he's safe and sound. I've brought him in a safe place, but we'd be better hurry: the sunset is close, the place is far and the two guys that were keeping him prisoner are still looking for him. Let alone the Lost Boys.” she said, alternating her gaze between the two women. Something in Emma looked extremely familiar.  
“ What are we waiting for? Let's go!” Hook exclaimed behind Charming's imposing figure. Rapunzel could do nothing but admire the pirate’s aspect. He smartly smirked at her while Emma was letting go her arm.   
“ Where?” the woman asked with puppy eyes. Rapunzel quickly confronted them with Snow's, and had the confirm that they were the same. Here's what looked so familiar!  
“ Follow me. “ she smiled, taking the lead of the little group. “ And be careful. This is an insidious jungle. It hides everything but, most important, everyone. And the Lost Boys know this island better than everyone else. Except for me, of course.”  
“ And me.” Hook added with a bright smile, gaining a glare from Emma.  
As they entered the jungle, they were forced to walk one behind the other. Emma settled behind the warrior, stealing the place to Regina, stuck between her and Snow, who was followed by Rumplestiltskin, Hook, and Charming. Rapunzel quickly eyed everyone of them, particularly the Dark One, while she was holding a big branch away from the path she had used to reach them as to let them pass. When he walked by her, she was watching him with narrowed eyes. “ You look so different...”  
He softly smirked. “ This is my human aspect, dearie.”  
Hook passed before her after him.  
“ Oh, and I am really pleased to meet you, Captain!”  
“ The pleasure is mine! I've never met a woman like you, lady.”  
Rapunzel laughed hard. “ Aye, I hope it.”   
Charming gave her a little smile from behind him.   
“ I don't think it would be bad if others like you existed. “  
“ Snow, your husband is flirting with me!”  
“ I'll kill him later.”   
They all laughed. They're try to ease off worked with everyone but Regina, and Emma tensed a second after stopping the laughter. Rapunzel took the lead again, but this time Regina followed her. She couldn't help but feel her shoulders tense under her look. She tried to stay silent, but it was too stressing. Moreover, everyone's anxiety grew in the raising silence and falling darkness. She had to do something.   
“ Your clothes...they're really weird...” she said to anyone in particular. Very other questions were in her mind, but she didn't want to ask them in that moment. The guys were already stressed enough, and that question was an acceptable compromise.   
“ Yours are! “ Emma tried to joke, but the laughters were really brief.

The tension increased again. It seemed that they were waiting for something. And they were actually waiting for something. At least, Snow was. Rapunzel was alive, the Evil Queen hadn't kill her. It was almost a miracle! And moreover, instead of crushing her heart, she had sent her here with a magic ring or something similar, if she got it right, and it was something bound to destiny, something that not even the Dark One knew. Rapunzel was ready to die for her, Regina didn't kill her and had sent her there, and she was there too, now. Snow glanced down and smiled. Maybe she finally knew the answer to her ancient question.   
After a little, Regina decided to take her responsibilities.   
“ They're normal from where we come from. “ she said tightly.  
Another bit of silent tension. Rapunzel didn't want to ask, but now...” And where is it?” The pain was not exactly hidden in her voice. Snow noticed it, and gazed up at her. If the warrior's shoulders had tensed a little bit more, she was sure they'd have broken.   
“ Its name is Storybrooke.”  
“ Never heard.”  
“ Because it's located in another world. “  
Rapunzel gave a start. She stayed silent for the rest of the trip.

They walked all night with few breaks, but fortunately they didn't meet anyone. One hour after the sunrise a cave appeared in front of them. The plants covered the most of its entry, hanging down from its top. It was really dark and silent inside.   
The group stopped in front of the creepy place, and a loud growl suddenly came out from it. Emma jumped back, Snow took her bow, Charming his sword. Regina was looking at the cave with narrowed eyes when Rumplestiltskin got ahead all of them and watched closely. Hook was eying suspiciously Rapunzel's amused smirk.  
“ Gold, where the fuck are you going?” Emma asked, worried. He grinned.   
“ A beast doesn't fear other beasts, dearie.”   
“ What?”   
“ You express as a mercenary little Princess, you know?” Rapunzel asked, without losing her smile.  
“ Oh shit no, please, don't call me that way! Why the hell are you laughing? I'm serious! And tired! Where's Henry?”  
“ Right there.” Rapunzel replied, pointing at the cave. Regina eyed her with a sort of slight admiration in her eyes. The warrior's chest almost exploded.   
“ The fuck are you saying? Haven't you heard? There some kind of magic monster inside there!”  
But while Emma was panicking Regina ran inside the cave. She disappeared into the darkness. Emma's jaw fell. Rapunzel entered the cave with a softer look to her as apology. The rest of the group followed her.   
They found themselves in an enormous cave, mysteriously bright for no having other accesses but the one they came by. Magic, Emma thought. And now she could feel it, vibrating in her body as a reassuring, powerful energy. But she didn't bother about that. What she cared about was the little kid who was clasping Regina. The woman was crying, no doubt about that. She kissed the boy on his cheek and then folded him again in her arms, crying over his shoulder, forgetting about anyone else. Everyone froze in the cave. That was weird, Regina crying without control. Weird, but totally comprehensible. Emma was the only one who didn't froze: she launched herself through the cave and hugged Henry together with Regina, too happy to see him to bother about her. She didn't hold her tears when the kid screamed her name and surrounded her waist with his little, strong arm.

Rapunzel watched the scene, still too surprised to see Regina in that mood. She had a son, and she loved him. And Snow's daughter said that he was her son too. What could that mean? Who was Henry's mother? He had never explained that. He always talked about Regina as "mom" and Emma simply as Emma, but now his arms were so tightened around her (and Regina wasn't protesting) that Rapunzel began to think that Emma could be his real mother. They resembled, somehow. More importantly, now that she could see them close, his aspect had nothing to do with Regina's, but the hair's color. Thinking better about it... Rapunzel eyed Snow, then Henry, then Snow again. Those two really resembled each other, so much that she asked herself why she didn't noticed it before. Probably because she remembered Snow White with her long hair. The short cut drastically changed her appearance.   
Rapunzel distractedly grabbed her tress and began playing with it. She noticed after a while that Regina had stopped hugging Henry and was staring at her with a weird face. Regina noticed her look, and a wave of gratefulness invaded her features. Rapunzel's heart exploded for the happiness, but she just shyly smiled, embarrassed by that look. Henry saved her, unleashing from his grandparents' hug and running to her. It was her turn to be hugged. He was trying not to cry for happiness. “ You did it! You brought them to me!”  
Rapunzel smiled. Again, the dubious identity of his mother confused her. “ Aye, sometimes I manage to do it. “  
“ What?”  
“ Never mind, little Prince.”   
He smiled widely. He liked it when she called him that way. He probably felt like his grandfather, if Prince James was his grandfather. She passed a hand trough his hair. Emma was close now, wet eyes, their grey-green color emphasized by the tears.   
“ Thank you.” she said, one hand on Henry's shoulder. The kid hugged her again. No way they weren't related: their smile was exactly the same.   
“ Duty.” Rapunzel replied with a hint of embarrass. She wasn't used to be thanked. Another hug made her falter: Snow had hit her with another of her dangerous hugs.  
“ I owed my life to you, now I owe you my grandson's, so my family's happiness...” she said, moved, behind her neck. She was squeezing her so much that Rapunzel thanked the leather armor to be there to protect her ribs. She didn't know that Snow White was so strong, really. “ I'll never thank you enough!”   
A kiss on her cheek paralyzed her. Snow let her go after a last squeeze, then laughed at her dumbstruck expression. Charming was suddenly behind his wife.   
“ Indeed! Thank you, Rap...is really Rapunzel your name?”  
The warrior smiled sadly. “ Many years ago it became it. “   
“ Her name is Shaya. “ Regina's strong voice intervened, although a little broken by emotion. Henry went next to her and hugged her again, making her smile. It seemed that he ran from a person to another to hug everyone. It had been really bad for him in the last days, after all.   
Rapunzel gave a start. She didn't expected the woman to remember her name. Something pleasant burned in her chest. Her eyes smiled to Regina, that seemed confused for a moment.   
“ Why Rapunzel?” Emma asked.  
“ Because under her tower was full of rampions, and in her mother language they're called "rapunzel". It's like a turnip. The peasants began to call her that way after she was locked in. “ Henry answered, repeating what the warrior had explained to him days before. “ Have I ever eat a turnip, mom?”   
“ Yes, once, and you spat it.” Regina answered with a happy but disapproving smile. He smiled guilty and hugged her stronger. Rapunzel could see only happiness in her eyes now, and hers filled with tears. 

Everyone noticed. Emma's jaw fell. Snow widened her eyes for a little, but then she looked at her with a knowing smile. She had just had her confirmation. Hook snorted behind them while Charming narrowed his eyes, slightly shrugging then before gazing at his wife. The only one who didn't react at all was Rumplestiltskin, who was watching the scene by the beginning with a light sneer on his thin face. Rapunzel didn’t notice any of them: her eyes were only for Regina, who was looking at Henry.   
“ So, how did you two met?” Snow White asked, trying to take the attention from Rapunzel's feelings. The warrior eyed her as if she had appeared there only in that moment.   
Henry answered instead of her. “ The portal brought us in the middle of the jungle. Greg broke a leg when he fell, so we were slow walking, and they were not sure of where to go. After one hour or so she appeared in front of us with her sword and said:" You two, you know it isn't fair to hold a child prisoner". That's because I was trying to escape...”  
“ I perceived the magic and moved where it was, then I followed your traces. I just saw that you clearly didn't want to be with them.” Rapunzel interrupted him, slightly shaking her head with an embarrassed smile on her face.  
“ Yeah! You were so cool when you appeared!”  
Rapunzel blushed. “ I didn't appeared, I was already there....”  
“ But they were so scared! And they fought, and Tamara shoot you but you avoided the bullet like in Matrix and..”  
“ That was just luck! I was just moving forward to disarm her! I didn't even know that object could throw stones!”  
“ Not stones, bullets! They're made of lead!”  
“ Right, so it's sooo different...”  
“ But you avoided it! And then you almost cut her hand off with your sword!”  
“ That's not fair!” Hook suddenly exclaimed. Rumple stifled a laughter, and a deep hate crossed the pirate's blue eyes.  
“ In fact I didn't. I just hit her hand and wounded it, so that she couldn't shoot me. Or you, little Prince. Then I punched Greg in the face and then they ran away. “  
“ You let them go.”  
“ It was more important to take you to a safe place before that the Lost Boys could find you. They were close. They always are. “

Emma was so tensed that it seemed she could break into pieces in moments. “ Uh, a great adventure kid, isn't it?” she asked, clearly forcing herself to smile.   
“ Yes! “ Henry screamed. All of his fears had faded away now that his family was there with him. He had felt quite safe with Rapunzel, but now he felt really safe. Rumplestiltskin, Prince Charming, Snow White, Captain Hook, the Savior and the (not so)Evil Queen, they were all there to protect him. He truly felt safe. But he was also worried for them. “ But we have to go away from here now! They're chasing me! We have to go back to Storybrooke!”  
“ Why are they looking for you, Henry?” Regina asked, suddenly more "Queen" and less "Regina".   
“ I don't know!”  
The brunette glared at Rumplestiltskin. “ Any idea?”  
“ Don't blame me, dearie. I have nothing to do with this land and its inhabitants. I am here to help to save my grandson. “ 

Grandson. That was the reason why Rumplestiltskin was there! Rapunzel was wondering why from the first second she saw him, but she forgot to ask. Too many questions in her head. So Emma had to be Baelfire's wife. But she had no ring. No wife. No wife, but a son together. That was weird. So Baelfire was immortal, too? Or Rumple had another son.  
“ You know so many things, but you never know anything when it's needed! “  
“ What are you suggesting?”  
Anger and magic were slowly and dangerously filling the air.   
“ Nothing, Rumplestiltskin. “ Regina marked his name as an evidence to something. Something that made the man's rage grow.   
“ Alright, stop it!” Emma said, raising her hands as if she wanted to divide the two of them. “ Your... powers itch. Calm down and let's find a solution.”  
“ They still have the beans.” Killian said, nearing her. He eyed Rapunzel. “ Do they?”  
She shrugged. “ I guess. I didn't see them, but they left nothing when we fought. So you came here with magic beans?”  
“ Yep.” Henry answered, amused.   
“ Cool.” she replied imitating him. He laughed. Regina smiled over him: they were still hugging each other. Emma's hand ruffled his hair.   
“ Do you have any idea of were Greg and Tamara could be?” the blonde asked her.  
“ No. But I can find them easily: the man's leg was really bad, they must have found refuge somewhere in the jungle. It's full of caves around here, they could be inside one of them.”  
“ I thought the beach was the safest place on an island...” Emma murmured, thinking loud.   
“ Beaches are full of crocodiles here. “ the warrior explained to her.   
Emma blushed. “ Oh. Right. Crocodiles.”  
“ What if the Lost Boys found them?” Charming asked frowning. Rapunzel tightened her lips.   
“ They're screwed. “ She answered, together with Killian. They smiled at each other.   
“ And we are, too. “ Rumplestiltskin added. Everyone silenced. They knew he was right.

The cave was comfortable after all. It was enormous but not cold or dark (magic), and furnished even (magic again). There was a bed, that suddenly multiplied seven times thanks to Rumplestiltskin, a table with a chair, some tools and a fireplace with a caldron that magically hovered upon it. Some food as fruits, dry meat, vegetables and bread were on a flat stone on its side. A barrel laid next to it. Tons of books laid on the ground behind the original bed.  
The sun had set down and the fire was burning bright, warming the slowly cooling cave. The caldron's content was beginning to boil.   
Emma came next to Rapunzel, who was sharpening her sword sitting on a chair-shaped stone.” Hey.”  
“ Hey.”   
The Savior sat next to her, on the "chair arm". “ So you live here.” she said.  
“ Indeed.” Rapunzel seemed not so intentioned to talk, but her tone was kind. Emma tried again.  
“ So...how long?”  
Rapunzel eyed her obliquely. “ Sure you want to know?”  
Emma raised her eyebrows. “ Well...my parents seem my age old, what could be weirder? “   
Rapunzel laughed softly. “ Right. I lost the count, in truth, but...how old are you?”  
“ Twenty-eight.”  
“ At least twenty-eight years then.”  
Emma studied her. “ You look twenty-something. A very little "something", like a one or a two. Maybe not even those...”  
“ Thank you.”  
They laughed together. Snow looked at them and smiled. Regina eyed them too, but with an unfathomable look. Then she went back talking with Henry. They were sitting on one of the beds, two steps away from them, while Snow, Charming and Hook were talking on the other side of the cave, next to the exit, with Rumple listening to them.   
“ Ah, hey, what was that growl when we were out? “  
Regina heard her and answered instead of Rapunzel. “ A spell, a very intricate one. It's called "the Beast's Calling". When someone arrives in proximity to the place you want to protect or hide, they hear the scary growl, and the one who put the spell hears it too, also from a big distance, and sees who's in the place. If they go over, the spell creates the illusion of a ferocious beast, a very realistic one, that should be enough to make them run away as they had hell behind their back. Which would be correct if the beast was real.”  
“ And if they stay?”   
“ The spell breaks and invests them with a wave of heat sufficient to melt metal. Just in case they have armor and shield.”  
“ Oh. Efficient.” Emma commented swallowing, a hint of fear in her eyes.  
“ Yes.” “Aye.” the other two women replied at the same time. A meaningful glance passed between them.   
“ So we didn't melt because...”  
“ Because you must always have the control of your spells.” Rapunzel said with a smirk. “ I stopped it before it could damage us. “  
Emma nodded, then addressed to Regina. “ So it's a kind of magic alarm system, security guy included.”  
The brunette smiled. “ In plain words...”   
“ I told you this was a safe place.” Rapunzel commented with a smirk. Regina let her deep laugh fill the air, and shivers ran through the warrior's back. Emma noticed and tried with all herself not to smile. Now she was unwillingly super-good in seeing Rapunzel's reactions to Regina. Somehow, the idea of someone loving Regina, but Henry, didn't reach her mind before, let alone a woman loving her. And if it was an at least twenty-eight years long love, and who knew how many more, and if that woman had lived alone in that cave for so long with the memory of the woman she loved fixed in her mind, probably convinced that she would have never seen her again, then she really didn't understand how did she manage to stay sane. She would have gone crazy! And yet somehow Rapunzel could still smile, and stay next to Regina, and Emma didn't fucking know how she could do it. She would slap her, yell at her, punch her in the face! Because she was sure that Rapunzel was there before the curse, which meant that Regina could have picked her up from Neverland and taken her back to the Enchanted Forest years ago, but she didn't. But still Rapunzel was secretly gazing at Regina with the shadow of a smile on her lips. She wasn't mad at her, not at all. She seemed just happy that she was there. Emma was furious, and needed to know more.  
“ So how did you come here, Shaya?”  
The woman gave a start. “ My name is Rapunzel now. And it is indeed a long story.”  
Emma shrugged. “ I have time.”  
“ She was kindly suggesting you to mind your business, Miss Swan.”  
“ Thing that you do extremely well.”  
Regina gave a jump. Emma immediately regretted her words. Henry was shocked, and a little angry. He was watching her with a what-the-hell-look on his face. He hugged more tightly Regina, making her close her mouth, already ready to reply. But it was Rapunzel the one that caught Emma's attention for suddenly leaping up and glowering at her.  
“ Don't you dare judging her. N e v e r a g a i n.” she said with low, growling voice, a hundred feet tall, flashing eyes. There actually was some electricity in the air cornering her threatening, darkened figure. Emma swallowed hard, her eyes wide opened. She was really scared. Her heart was beating so fast she could barely breath. Now, only now she could see the reason why they called her the Golden Death, as David had explained to her during the trip. Because Emma was sure that she was about to kill her. She was paralyzed, hypnotized by her deep eyes. Her mother saved her.   
She saw her irrupt between her and Rapunzel, one hand on the warrior's shoulder, strongly trying to push her away from her, with no result though.   
“ Shaya you...”  
“ My name is Rapunzel.” she growled, literally. But Snow was fearless, it seemed.   
“ Okay, Rapunzel, don't you try again to threaten my daughter. Ever. “ It looked like an order. The other woman seemed to realize something. She clenched her jaw and her fists.   
“ It wasn't my intention. I apologize if I was a little... frightening, Princess.”  
She smiled shyly, and Emma could finally recognize her I-just-want-to-help-mood. She was still a little bit scared, but she felt strangely safe with Mary Margaret at her side. It was an unfamiliar feeling for her. Emma forced herself to smile.  
“ Yeah, just a little. No problem, but don't call me that way.”   
“ Princess?”  
“ Yep.”  
“ But is your title.”  
Emma lifted her eyebrows. “ And Shaya is your name.”  
A hint of rage passed through Rapunzel's face, immediately replaced by an amused smile. “ You won. “ she capitulated, bowing slightly her head.  
“ Fine!” Emma smiled back at her, truly pleased that Rapunzel wasn't angry anymore. She was the only person capable to scary her when she was.

Regina was speechless. Henry was still hugging her tight, and she felt as her heart was melting down for joy, but there was something more she felt. It was creeply similar to what she had felt seeing Emma and Henry and the two id...Charmings appear running through the mine to tell her they wouldn't abandon her. That they wanted her to live. Henry had said that she was a hero. Emma had helped her with magic. And she had felt good. She had felt thankful, she had felt there was still someone thinking about her as a person, she had felt...loved. Henry was still demonstrating her he did love her. He just stopped her to say something stupid, as Emma, instead, did. Well, Emma was pretty right, after all. She managed to think this, not only to know it and ignore it. She knew that Emma had said the truth, and shut. She had minded her business for so many years before Henry became her son... but that was true, too! She hadn't always been that way! Before Daniel's death ( her heart crushed once again at his memory), and after Henry's arrival, she did think about the others! She was going to make her notice that when Rapunzel had stood up and defended her. She did stick up for her, and with a totally unexpected passion. She was imposing, her shoulders were impossibly tensed, her fists closed. Regina felt her power, clearly grown over the years, fill the air and caress her skin. And she was defending her. Even after what she had done to her. After all she did, in general. She voluntarily stood up and menaced the Savior just because she had said the truth about her. So Regina was speechless. She just couldn't understand.

Henry was desperately hoping that his moms wouldn't kill each other, and the only way to impede this was by calming Regina down. And the only way to calm her down was show her his love. So he did. He knew she loved it when he hugged her. And he imagined how stressful might have been for her the whole trip to Neverland, trapped on a ship with his grandma always there, kissing and smiling at her True Love. And Mr Gold, the one who helped her to become the Evil Queen. And Emma, as powerful as she was, probably more, ready to save him. Maybe she felt like she would have been the Evil Queen again. Perhaps she thought that Emma would have saved him, not her, and he would have loved Emma more than he loved her. And the fear for him, that had had to be very stressing. He knew she loved him, she did everything possible to keep him with her in Storybrooke. So it seemed so natural to him that she was so nervous. She smiled at him, she was really happy to see him, but a hint of tension stayed on her face. It was so obvious that he really didn't know why Emma had said that thing. Well, she was stressed too, sure, but she was the Savior! She had to be more controlled than the Evil Queen! Actually Regina was it more than Emma. It was absurd. He literally saw his mom's face crumble when she realized what Emma said. Fortunately Rapunzel saved her from total depression with that creepy intervention. He already felt afraid of her when he saw her fight against Tamara and Greg, but now she was even more frightening. But he was happy that she was it. He felt safe with her, and he knew she would have done everything to save his mom. It was so obvious that she loved her! But Regina didn't know yet. Maybe he should tell her, so she could forget Daniel and be happy again. He really didn't mind that her True Love could be a girl. It just mattered that she was her True Love. Because he was pretty sure that she was. All those coincidences wouldn't made sense if it wasn't destiny for them to meet again.


	7. A new mission

Morning came soon, too soon for Emma. She was absurdly tired. She made the second guard duty, and then slept all night, but she felt as if a truck had passed over her, twice. Henry was still sleeping, cornered by Regina's arms. She looked so possessive... but he was smiling in his sleep, so it was fine. Regina didn't look so peaceful instead. She looked worried. And a bit angry. But maybe it was just an impression.   
Emma stood up and passed a hand over her face and through her hair. Snow greeted her with a wide, warm smile that made her heart slow down in a reassuring, slow beat. She smiled back at her and joined her in front of the caldron, where she was cooking something that no way could look as a breakfast.  
“ 'Morning.” Emma murmured. Snow passed a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. Emma blushed. “ W-what the hell is this?”   
Snow smiled again, pleased and amused. “ Soup. We'll need energy.”  
“ Da fuck! Soup for breakfast. What for lunch? A deer?”  
“ There are no deers here, Em. Dry meat, I guess.”  
Emma shook her head with a sad smile. “ What an awful world. No coffee. It's horrible.”   
Snow White stifled a laughter just because the rest of the group was still sleeping. She was beginning to say something when soft, known laughs came from the entrance of the cave. Gold and Rapunzel walked inside.  
“ Good morning my beloved guests!” the warrior said with a complex kneeling that made Snow White double up with laughter. She woke up everyone. Even Gold was slightly laughing.   
He and Rapunzel seemed in harmony, somehow. Emma suddenly became extremely curious.  
“ How do you know each other?”  
They locked gaze for a second, then Gold waved his hand in the air, inviting Rapunzel to speak. “ He helped me to escape from the tower where I was locked in, and I gave him the promise that I would have done whatever he'd asked me in the future. So... here I am. “ She gave her a tiny smile. But Emma wasn't satisfied yet.  
“ And what did he ask you?”   
She noticed the smirk on Gold's face.   
“ You.” he answered instead of her. Emma jumped. “ As I did with you, dearie.” He sneered at Snow, who suddenly blushed and looked down.   
“ You asked only for her name.” Came the strong voice of Charming. Everyone looked at him.   
“ And that's all I need. “ Rumplestilskin smiled again to a confused Emma.   
“ He asked me to save Snow White.” Rapunzel intervened. She looked worried by something that only she seemed to know.  
“ That's not what I asked you, dearie.”  
“ But that's what you wanted.”  
He burst into laughter. “ Yes!”  
“ So why making me become...me?” Regina's deep voice came from behind Rapunzel. The warrior faltered and moved. Her breath was accelerated, and it seemed fear. Fear. Rapunzel. Emma was so confused that she felt stupid and a little beyond alarmed.   
“ Interests I no more keep.” he sneered. Regina had that look. The one that said " I'll kill you in the painfullest way possible".   
“ Oh sure, you now found love and don't keep your perverse interests anymore...”  
“ You found what?” Rapunzel asked, evidently shocked by the revelation.   
“ He found his new doll to play with...” Regina replied with a devilish smile, giving rise to Rumplestiltskin's anger.   
“ Don't ever try to speak about Belle in tha...”  
“ Ok guys, stop!” Emma decided that it was enough. They were trapped in Neverland and Greg, Tamara and the Lost Boys were looking for them to take her son. No time for fighting like kids. “ We don't have time for this! We need the beans! “  
“ Finally a pragmatic woman!” Hook exclaimed, appearing at Emma's side. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she immediately took it off.  
“ Why the hell are you telling this to me? I have the right to know! Why do you all always blame me for everything?”  
Rapunzel sneered. “ Everybody knows that Rumplestiltskin's untrustworthy and a crazy irresponsible, so someone else has to take the responsibility.” she answered before anyone else could do it.  
Regina paralyzed, but Rumple laughed hard. He tapped twice on Rapunzel's shoulder while walking away towards the beds. He sat on one of them, two away from Henry, who was still laying half-asleep, and eyed them from there.  
“ Anyway, I can easily find the two weasels. If you have the patience to wait here, I'll bring them to you.”  
Emma turned to look at Rapunzel. “ Are you crazy? Tamara has a gun!”  
Rapunzel grinned. “ I have magic.”  
Emma saw Regina hide a smile.   
Snow intervened. “ Rapunzel Emma's right: you can't go alone. We, no, I won't let you risk your life again for us! We'll come with you. “  
Emma didn't realized it yet. Rapunzel had saved her mother's life before Graham did, as far as she knew. She would never be born if she didn't. Rapunzel had challenged Regina, no, the Evil Queen, the woman she loved, to save an extraneous. And she could have killed her. But still, the weird thing was that she was still alive. Why didn't Regina kill her? She didn't kill Graham neither, true, but she did take his heart. She felt bad remembering him, and Neal's memory came a second later, making her feel even worse. She eyed Henry, wondering how could he have felt, alone in Neverland with Greg and Tamara, knowing that his father was dead and that probably they would never find him. She hugged herself a second before David did, as if he could read her thoughts. She jumped for the surprise, but Mary Margaret smiled at her, and the now usual warmth calmed down her hearth. Rapunzel had said that he had always known that they would have come to save him. He was a brave, strong boy. Probably she should thank Regina for this, because she felt all but brave in those days, while the other woman looked like a tiger in cage on the ship.  
“...but I must agree with Snow White. I owe you my son's life, I won't let you die.” the woman in question was saying. Rapunzel stayed silent for a while. She wasn't crying or nothing, but something in her face and in her posture told her that she was moved. And conflicted.   
“ It would be safer for you all to stay here. I well know this land and...”  
“ I know it too, Lady! And none should ever stay alone around here.”   
Emma had never seen Hook so serious.   
“ Aye, but Henry should stay here, so that Pan won't find him. And he will need someone to take care of him, to protect him, just in case someone more powerful than me reaches this place...”  
“ I'll protect him.” Rumplestiltskin walked in. Emma and Regina looked at him as if he had just said the stupidest thing in all the worlds.   
“ I won't let my son in the Dark One's hands again. “ Regina spat. Emma stayed silent for a while. She was watching Henry. He noticed.  
“ You're the Savior. Save us. “ he simply said. Logical.  
“ Henry, I won't let you again...”  
“ But I'm safe here, and I couldn't be safer than under Rumplestiltskin's protection!” They locked gaze for a while. He looked so confident. “ I don't want you to go, but you have to.” he added after a bit.  
Emma's eyes filled with tears. She went closer to her son and hugged him tight. After a while she glanced at Regina: she looked sad, as she thought. Emma moved a little at that sight and forced herself to stretch an arm, inviting the other woman, the woman who raised her son while she couldn't, she remembered to herself, to join the hug. Regina's dark eyes opened wide: she was kind of shocked. Emma tried to smile to reassure her, because she probably would have had the same reaction if she was her. Regina hesitated yet, too surprised to manage to move. Then she made a little step, then another, and finally she hugged them both, hanging to them as they were the last piece of rope before the abyss. “ Thank you.” she murmured on Emma's ear with broken voice.   
They broke the hug after a minute. Emma was a little embarrassed, but totally happy. Henry looked like the happiest kid in the world. Well, in any world. Regina's eyes were wet, and a hint of smile didn't seem to want to go away from her lips. A thought crossed Emma's mind, and she gazed at Rapunzel. She was all eyes on Regina it seemed, but when Emma looked at her, she looked back at her and gave her a thankful smile. Emma glanced down, embarrassed again. A warm hand, Mary Margaret's one, caressed her shoulder. She gazed at her mother, and her proud smile made her happy.

Emma, David, Rapunzel, Regina, Hook and she. Snow watched the little group walk silently before her. If someone had asked her just a week before, she could have never said that that would have been her "team". Mostly because of Regina's presence. And Rapunzel's. She really couldn't understand how she was still alive. That woman was a badass with a strange bent for kindness and friendship and sacrifice, but she was still breathing. A complete mystery.  
David interrupted her thoughts taking her hand. She briefly smiled at him.  
“ What were you thinking about? Your forehead was a mountain chain.”  
Snow couldn't help but laugh.   
“ I'm kinda obsessed with Rapunzel's way of thinking. And surviving. “  
David hid a smile. “ I'm curious too. You never talked to me about her!”  
“ Are you jealous?”  
He smiled again, but with malice. “ Should I?”  
She slapped him on his arm. “ Stupid! “  
They laughed together. In spite of the situation, despite the danger and the worrying, she felt happy. 

The two idio...Snow and David were laughing so happily behind her that Regina almost felt her right hand in flames. The anger grew wild in a second in her chest. Nasty habits are hard to break. She forced herself to keep calm. But, no, she had to tell them.   
“ I'm pretty sure that Widow Lucas can hear you laughing from Storybrooke. Moreover, I truly can't understand what you can find funny in this situation. Mine and your daughter's son is still in danger! It seems that even the Dark One has realized it. Thing that I evidently can't say about you, Charmings. “  
The silence ruled for a few moments. Everyone had stopped walking.  
“ You're right. We've been stupid. “ Snow finally said with an embarrassed smile.   
“ Yes, it's true.” Charming said after a brief moment of hesitation. Regina wasn't prepared for their agreement, she was expecting something different. She pretended a satisfied face and turned to walk again, but Emma's face, at her side, blocked her. She looked totally astonished.   
“ Something wrong, Miss Swan?”  
Emma opened her mouth, began to say something, but then closed her jaw. Two seconds of silence later she smiled widely. “ Nothing. Let's go!” she exclaimed before walking fast before her, causing her eyebrows to vertiginously lift.   
A moment before that the warrior moved to follow the Savior she saw her smile at her, and still she couldn't understand why. Regina began walking with tons of doubts heaving on her mind.

"Your daughter's son". It was an extreme improvement. Regina had finally accepted the fact that Henry was her son, too. She really meant what she said, Emma saw it. She meant it so deeply that she didn't even realize what she said. Maybe they could handle it. Maybe Henry would be happy, someday.   
Rapunzel suddenly joined Emma, amused. “ Where are you going so quickly, Emma?”  
The Savior slowed down. “ Oh, right. I dunno the way.”   
“ Indeed.” The warrior passed her and turned right. “ This way. They probably went towards the northern beach passing through the inside. It's the fastest way, but the hardest one. They can't be far.”  
“ How much do you think it will take before we find them?”  
“ Tomorrow we'll be right in front of their unpleasant faces. There's a group of caverns right behind yonder trees.” She pointed at a place in the jungle with a finger. Emma saw a millions of trees, but she couldn't distinguish the ones Rapunzel was talking about. “ The ones with the white bark.” the warrior added, as if she had read her thoughts. Now Emma could see them, far away, barely visible over the green curtain of leaves and creepers.   
“ Are you fucking reading my thoughts?”  
Rapunzel laughed softly. “ No need. Your perplexed face was clear enough.”  
Emma grimaced, making her laugh again. That warrior was absurdly likeable. Her only sight made Emma smile, and wanting to joke with her as a child. It was as if they knew each other all along. Emma felt that way only with Mary Margaret.   
“ So...” Rapunzel stopped the train of her thoughts. “... as I was saying, they must be there, in one of the caves, unless the Lost Boys have already found them.”  
“ And if they did?”  
Rapunzel gave her the darker of her looks. “ We're doomed.”


	8. The beans

The group spent the night under an arranged refuge, made by Hook and Rapunzel with stranded creepers and cans. It was quite comfortable for being in the middle of Neverland's jungle. Regina kept them warm lighting a little black fire, as to make them less visible in the night. It worked, because they were all alive when the sun rose. The tension was tangible in the air. Killian could feel it. The group kept walking all morning long in silence. When they passed a little wood of tall trees with candid bark, he clearly saw Swan's shoulders tense. He tried to approach her, but Charming's hand on his shoulder stopped him. They locked gaze, blue eyes on blue eyes.   
“ Where were you running, Hook?”  
The pirate smirked. “ To your frightened daughter, Charming.”  
His eyes became colder than ice. “ Stay away from her.” he articulated with a low, threatening voice. Killian smirked again.  
“ Oh, how sweet! The caring daddy protects his daughter from the bad pirate!”  
“ Exactly! Now step back and just walk!”   
“ David!” Snow intruded, a little shocked. “ He helped us! He gave us his ship!”  
“ Exactly! Thank you, Ma'am.”  
“ Hey, what's up?” Emma appeared, worried and impatient at the same time. Hook's eyes lingered on her figure.   
“ Nothing to worry about.” he answered with a smile. Swan's eyes crossed his for a second, then she turned and walked away, joining Rapunzel and Regina again.  
“ Don't waste time.” she said nervously while walking.   
Hook innerly smiled.

There was a huge block of light grey rock at least one mile long in the middle the green ground, creating a clearing in the dense jungle. It was enormous and inclined, so that only one side of it was vertical respect to the ground. That side was so full of caverns that it looked black.   
They were pretty near to the Sponge, so they could see a wide part of its surface. The group had hidden behind a big bush full of violet berries. They were waiting from half an hour to see some hint of life in the Sponge. Their patience was repaid: from the second big cavern on the "second floor" a leg showed up. A long, female leg wrapped in tight, filthy jeans. Tamara jumped down on the ground, gave a look around and then ran towards the opposite side relatively to their position.   
Rapunzel heard Emma's breath accelerate. Hate. She recognized it when she saw it on her face, not so different from Regina's now. They wanted the same thing, and she was willing to gave them what they wanted. Rapunzel turned to watch them all. “ Alright, listen up: Greg, if he's still alive, must be inside the cave. Tamara could have run away with the beans because he was dying, or too weak for walking, or just because she's an ass, so don't have too much hope to find the beans. We probably won't, but we have to try. Right?”   
Everyone nodded. She did once, too.  
“ Good. But if she just went in search of food, or water, probably Greg is alive and armed. So we have to pay attention. We can't risk to be injured. We have to move fast, we can't be weak. Understand?”   
Again, everyone nodded.   
“ Good. So I'll go and pick those beans and you'll watch if Tamara comes back.”  
“ Rapunzel! “ mother and daughter exclaimed together. Hook hid a smile, David didn't, Regina spoke.  
“ I'm coming with you. I have a loose end with Greg.”   
The two older women looked at each other. Rapunzel suddenly blushed with uncontrollable anger.   
“ What has he done to you?”  
Regina stayed silent, but swallowed hard. Rapunzel looked in her eyes, saw something, and leaped up, sword in the hand.   
“ Let's go. You, shatter around the Sponge and whistle twice if you see the woman.”  
She then turned and walked away with heavy, angry, threatening steps. She looked like a mountain crumbling towards an overturned bug. 

A dense purple fog appeared in the cave. Greg took a second over to realize what was happening. He tried to scream, but a strong, gloved hand reached his mouth before he could make a sound. A sharp, cold blade touched his throat less than a second after. He trembled. Tamara had the gun. They thought she could need it more than him. They though it was a safe place. They were clearly wrong.   
The sight of Regina made his heart beat faster. The sight of the warrior woman totally terrorized him.   
“ Hi, dear.” the brunette began with a devilish smile, scarier than her contrasting dark look. “ Did you miss me?”  
He tried to look brave and calm, but he could see in her eyes that he looked like an afraid child. His broken leg was torturing him. He couldn't move. The sword pressed a little harder on his throat.   
“ Now I move my hand and you won't scream.” the blonde warrior said. Her eyes were of the color of pure ice, but burning with rage. His heart was almost exploding. She smiled coldly and took her hand off. The sword stayed where it was.   
“ The beans.” she ordered.   
He slowly lifted his right hand, showed her it was empty, and prayed for her to not cut his throat while he was taking the beans from his pocket. She grabbed them and smiled again. A shiver ran through his back.  
“ Thank you.”   
“ Please don't kill me!” he begged, looking only at the warrior. He knew that she was his only hope. Regina would have killed him without regrets. But maybe that woman... she challenged them and helped Henry without even knowing who he was. Maybe she was more human than Regina...   
But the woman looked at the brunette. Regina was looking at him with a strange expression. She seemed conflicted.   
“ Where's Tamara?” she asked him.  
He swallowed hard before answering. He couldn't say the truth, whatever that would have meant.  
“ She ran away. I told her to go. I can't go further in this conditions...”  
“ And she left you the beans?” It was the warrior asking, an eyebrow lifted. Greg nodded.  
“ Yes. She didn't need them anymore, but I could have used them to come back to New York and go to the hospital. One to go, one to come back.”  
The blonde looked again at Regina. She shrugged.   
“ Sounds sensed. “  
The warrior nodded once.   
“ So, we don't need him anymore.”  
Regina stayed silent. Greg held his breath. That woman was deciding about his life. She could kill him just with a hint of her head. But she seemed conflicted, again. Maybe there was a hope.   
“ I promised Henry I'd be better than this.”   
The other woman nodded.   
“ What has he done to you?”  
Regina looked at her. Her face looked all but angry. She looked...sad.   
“ I have to forgive him, Shaya.” she murmured. Her eyes were filled with burning tears. Greg couldn't believe what he was witnessing. But he had a chance. His left hand moved a little and found the big stone he took in case of need. He grabbed it without a sound.  
“ Alright then, forgive him. But I won't. What has he done to you?” the warrior was asking, pronouncing clearly the final question. Her face was a mix of anger and worrying. She had to be a friend of Regina. Another monster, so.   
“ He tortured me.” the brunette finally whispered, suddenly glancing down, trying to hide her rage.   
There was no more time. Greg rose his armed hand towards the warrior's head, but a strong hand blocked him.  
He didn't immediately felt the steel in his body. He was dead before he could notice that Rapunzel's sword had hit his heart.


	9. Back home

Regina and Rapunzel materialized in front of Emma and Snow White, still hidden behind the big bush. Rapunzel was still holding her sword in the hand.  
“ Are you okay?” Emma asked, alternating her look between the two of them.  
“ "Okay"?” Rapunzel asked confusedly, with a hard look at her. She was strange. She looked angry. Emma swallowed.  
“ We're fine.” Regina answered instead of her, giving her a meaning look. Rapunzel nodded, than took a look at her sword and sheathed it.  
“ And we have the beans.”  
Snow smiled widely, but Emma didn't. She was happy that they managed to take the beans, but something was wrong. Rapunzel was furious for something. Her sword was clean, but...  
“ So what happened? Was Greg inside?”  
“ Yes.” the warrior growled. She said nothing more. Emma tried to search her answers in Regina's eyes, but the woman was gazing down. Something was most certainly wrong.  
“ What the hell happened?!” Emma asked in the end, frustrated by their mysterious silence.  
“ Nothing...” Regina tried to answer, but Rapunzel opened her mouth in the same moment.  
“ I killed him.” she said with the sharpest look Emma had ever seen. Her eyes were a glacier. She couldn't help but feel a little shiver run through her spine. That woman was a ruthless killer. She could see it now.  
“ He tried to kill you with that stone!” Regina had big, wet eyes. She and Rapunzel were looking at each other.  
“ You know I could spare him. Don't justify me. I wanted to kill him, I just would have liked it to last a little longer...”  
Regina made a step back, Snow faltered, Emma suddenly turned white. And turned whiter when she saw Regina tear lavishly.  
“ It's my fault if he became what he is...was. I killed his father!”  
Rapunzel made a step towards her. “ I don't care! He had a choice! He could have been better than you, than me! But he didn't! And he had the misfortune to cross my path. That's all. I decided to kill him. It's not your fault if I am a fucking vindictive monster!”  
Regina stopped breathing. Emma clearly saw her expression change at least a million time. She didn't know what to feel, it seemed. Snow helped her. She reached her and hugged her. Regina's eyes widened so much that Emma feared that they could fall on the ground.  
“ She's right, Regina. You didn't want him to die. You forgave him. Do you understand? You forgave the man that had almost killed you! Henry would say "that's what heroes do", and he'd be right. He'd be right.”  
Regina didn't move a muscle. She was paralyzed, but tears were still sliding down her cheeks. It took her some minutes in that hug before she remembered to breath. She moved aside from Snow, eyes on the ground, and stayed still, silent.  
Emma looked at Rapunzel. She was in tears. What the hell was happening? A come-on-bad-people-let's-cry-party? The warrior suddenly eyed her. She was sad, no doubt. And there was something else in her eyes. Happiness. Resignation. Pain. The blue eyes looked back at the ground, hiding what was inside them. She cleared her voice and spoke.  
“ We should find the others and go back home...well, my home, I mean. “  
“ Right!” Snow exclaimed. She gave a modulated whistle, a complex sound, one of a particular bird, it seemed. At Emma's perplexed face she smiled.  
“ It's our secret signal. Mine and David's. It means that...”  
An identical sound came from their left.  
“...we can show up.”  
Charming and Hook appeared running from the jungle.  
“ Is everything okay?” David asked, looking at everyone. His eyes stopped on Regina. She had dried her face, but her red eyes said everything. She was still gazing down.  
“ Yes, yes.” Snow said. “ We can go. We have the beans.”  
“ Greg?”  
The silence fell, taking with it many meaningful looks.  
“ Oh.”  
“ Let's go.” Rapunzel ordered, starting to move. Regina immediately followed her. Hook, seeing that none was moving, shrugged and followed Regina. Emma was waiting for her parents. Snow wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  
“ She's a good person. She'd never hurt us.”  
“ How do you know that? She could be a total psychopath!”  
“ I'd be it if someone would have locked me inside a tower for twenty years after having killed my brother, and if the person I love had sent me in the most dangerous world of all for... I don't know... Forty years? She's even too sane for what she went through. She saved Henry's life, and probably ours, taking us to her cavern. And she's terribly loyal, I suspect, as she isn't neither mad at Regina for having left her here for so long.”  
“ She'd just said she would have liked to torture a man to death!”  
“ Yes that's... horrible, I know. But, Emma, you have to understand that this kind of things were quite normal in her realm. If she was an adult when they accused her to have killed her brother, she'd have had the same treatment. It was their idea of justice. Moreover, she's been a mercenary for many years, so...”  
“ What a beautiful place! Do you really wanna go back there?!”  
“ Our realm is different.” David intervened. “ Even Regina's was better than the Golden Fields.”  
“ It's the name of Rapunzel's realm.” May Margaret explained. “ Almost everyone has blond hair there, so...”  
“ Oh. I'm not sure I can still trust her, by the way.”  
“ Emma, she's the same person you were laughing with this morning!” Snow objected, reaching for her arm to stop her and make her lock gaze with her. “ She didn't change. She's simply been sincere. It's a good thing.”  
“ A good thing? Mary Margaret, she killed a wounded man, and she wanted to...”  
“ I killed. Your father killed. Regina, and Hook, and Rumplestiltskin did. The only ones who didn't here are you and Henry. Are you really telling me you don't trust anyone here but your son? Because if it is so, you should take a bean and run away with him. “  
She paused, letting her think. Emma looked in her eyes. She trusted her, and she trusted David. Somehow, she managed to trust Regina, too. Hook...she didn't know, yet. And she trusted Rapunzel till ten minutes before. She really did. Her eyes had told her only about love. And, actually, she killed Greg because of the weird idea those people seemed to have about love. It had been a revenge for what he did to Regina. Rage guided her. It was a passional crime. Perhaps she was not a serial killer.  
“ No.” Emma finally said. “ No, I trust you, and you.” she said to her father. David smiled with love. “ And, as Regina said, I owe her my son's life. And she's helping us, you're right. I'm just...”  
“ It's okay, Em... It's normal. We're just used to such things. If I was David Nolan, I would have run away crying and pulling my hair...”  
That made her laugh softly.  
“ We would be pleased if you three joined our company...” Regina's voice startled them from behind them. They turned to see her upset face. “ If you don't mind, we'd love to go to a safer place than a wild jungle where dangerous, immortal teens could cut our throats without we even notice.”  
“ Sure, right, my fault.” Emma said, hurrying to reach the other woman. She heard the steps of her parents behind her while walking, and her shoulders suddenly relaxed. She didn't realize they were tensed until that moment. She followed Regina, eyes on her hair. She really liked her haircut, but she'd never tell her. Emma smiled innerly at the thought, but the smile disappeared as she saw Rapunzel watch her. It took her a few seconds to understand her expression: she was just worried, and a little sorry. Emma tried to smile at her, but she knew she wasn't convincing. Rapunzel anyway smiled back at her, although noticing her hesitation. She turned and her swinging tress guided them through the path.

It was evening when it happened. The jungle was silent. Too silent. The sun had just crossed the horizon line, so that a wet, grey light was all Rapunzel was using to see the sketched path between the plants. Then she heard it. A breath, a leaf moving, feet leaving a branch over her head. She unsheathed her sword and with a single, fluid movement the falling Lost Boys was cut in two parts.  
“ Gather, none alone! Hook, Charming, protect those sides! Regina, watch up! Burn the arrows! Snow, kill...” A figure fell down from a far tree with a deep thud. “ Aye, him.” the warrior said while engaging with a boy right in front of her. He had scimitar, she had a longsword. His scimitar broke in three seconds, his throat opened in the next one.  
A fireball exploded next to her, crashing against a Lost Boy hidden behind a high branch. He fell down screaming desperately. She finished him, then turned and fought against a girl with daggers. Her right hand was cut down, then her head, before she could even begin to scream. Rapunzel took a pause to control the group. Charming and Hook were well defending Snow, concerned in throwing arrows as a cloud throws raindrops, and Emma, all eyes, a gun pointed to the ground. Regina was setting on fire half of the jungle, moving creepers as tentacles, breaking necks and crushing bodies. She was a war machine, and she didn't even know it, Rapunzel thought with an inner smile.  
A sudden pain to the left hip made her falter. A tall guy, holding a saber, red on the edge, was smiling at her.  
“ The Golden Death in the flesh, I guess... A little distracted though. Hope you don't mind if I killed you? Nothing personal.”  
Rapunzel touched the wound and watched her fingers covered in blood. The pain was strong, and it was expanding. The blood was mixed with something, a sort of limpid liquid.  
“ Where's the boy?”  
Rapunzel fell on her knees, and sneered. “ You're dead.”  
An intense heat suddenly flied over her head. The fireball hit the boy, making him violently bump against a tree. As he fell on the ground he began crying, shaking, helplessly trying to shut the flames that were devouring his body.  
“ Retreat! Retreat!” he screamed, running away, still trying to put out the fire from his head and chest. A few people followed him.  
Rapunzel smiled before tumbling on the ground with a moan. The poison was acting, making her tremble, increasing the pain, now extended to all of her abdomen. The wound wasn't deep, but it bled much under her hand.  
“ Rapunzel!” she heard Regina shout.  
Another warm hand joined hers, pushing painfully on the wound. Her sight was beginning to be confused. She saw two Reginas above her for a moment. Not bad, she thought with an inner smile.  
“ Hold on! It's not so bad! Heal yourself, come on! I know you know how...”  
Rapunzel shook weakly her head and smiled at her. Other people were above her head, but she saw only confused figures and shining objects.  
“ The sword was poisoned. There’s nothing I can do.”  
She dropped the sword and took the beans from her pocket, handing them to her.  
“ Nor you can. Take these and go home. Straight south, follow the stars. “  
A fresh hand on her cheek. Snow White's voice.  
“ I told you I wouldn't have let you die. Don't make a liar of me.”  
Rapunzel tried to smile, but the intense pain made her water and tremble. She had to hold herself from screaming. She just moaned.  
“ Go! They could come back!” she said with a hint of voice.  
“ You'll come with us. Rumplestilskin can help you, I'm sure.” Regina said “ Rumplestiltskin, I summon thee!” she said to the jungle.  
The warrior shook her head. “ He can't hear you. My cave is protected from magic...”  
“ Shit!”  
Always keeping one hand on her wound, she tried to lift her from her shoulders.  
“ Come on Rapunzel! Stand up!”  
Someone helped her. Somehow she found herself standing with an arm around Regina's shoulders and the other around Emma's. Hook was bending tight her hip. She sneered at him.  
“ Isn't this your forbidden dream, Captain?” she managed to joke, indicating the two women with a nod. He laughed.  
“ Oh, aye! “ he exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. “ Although one of them wants to kill me. And I'm not sure of which one. “ he smirked before that he became serious and talked to Regina. “ She can't walk up to the cave. She's too weak. Let's go to the Jolly Roger, we'll be safe there, and then I'll go to pick up the Crocodile and the kid. The beach is closer than the cave. “  
Regina watched Emma, who rose her eyebrows. “ O-okay. But I'll come with you.” she answered to the pirate. He nodded.  
“ Let's go!” Snow intervened. They all moved.  
Rapunzel was barely able to walk.  
Charming offered after less than a minute “ I can carry her if you...”  
“ She's as tall as you are, Charming, and she probably weighs the same as you do. Hook can't protect us alone if they attack us. Me and Emma can do this. “ Regina answered, visibly tired. Evidently the battle exhausted her, or she'd used magic to carry her. Rapunzel took a look at her face. Although tired, sweaty and worried, she found her nothing less than beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, hope these three chapters are enough for you to forgive me ;*


	10. Forgive me

The tender was waiting for them on the line between the beach and the jungle, hidden under some enormous, now dry leaves. Regina and Emma managed to put the almost immobile warrior on it, with Charming's help. She was terribly pale, and her closed eyes had dark rings under them. She never stopped trembling. The bend on her hip was blooded. Regina went behind her and let her lean sitting against her. Hook was rowing hard to make them reach the invisible ship as soon as possible.  
Regina put a hand on Rapunzel's forehead. She was burning. “ Hold on Shaya... hold on…” she whispered in her ear. “ I haven't spared you for nothing...”   
Rapunzel was still breathing, but didn't answer.   
A movement in front of her caught her attention.  
“ Why?” Emma asked. Her curious expression was identical to Henry's.   
“ Why what?”   
“ Why did you spare her? Why does she still have her heart?”   
Regina tried to answer, but although she herself had wondered many times, she had never found the answer to that question.   
“ I don't know. It... it felt wrong to kill her.”   
Emma looked confused, but satisfied. She nodded once, a sarcastic attempt of smile on her lips. “ Does it ever feel right to kill someone?”   
Regina clenched her teeth. “ Yes, when you hate that someone. “   
Emma's face was the essence of disapproval. Regina's rage grew a little more.   
“ But it feels wrong the same. You can hate, but you can even listen to your conscience...”  
“ Sometimes, Miss Swan, one can't. Sometimes it's just too much painful to succeed in...”  
“ Stop it!” a weak voice moaned between them. Rapunzel coughed because of the effort made for speaking. “ We have to be united... both of you are right. Stop arguing. “   
Regina stared at her, then glanced at Snow, perceiving her stare. The idiot was sillily smiling at Rapunzel. The younger woman noticed her glare, and embarrass colored her face.   
“ She's right. “ she said as to justify herself.  
Regina, with an enormous effort, nodded once.   
“ So we're three. Four, with you.”   
Snow openly smiled at her. Regina felt pretty uncomfortable at that look, and lowered her eyes on the horizon, to her right. Hook had turned the boat. The Jolly Roger had to be... A big "thump" announced everyone that the Jolly Roger was actually right there. Emma risked to fall outboard, and glared at Hook. He sneered.  
“ Sorry. “ 

David and Snow carried her to the Captain's room. The man laid her down delicately on the soft bed. Snow had already run away. In less than one minute she was back with an almost white bandage and a rum bottle. David helped his wife taking off the blooded bandage and disinfect the wound with the alcohol. Rapunzel barely moved. She was sweated and mortally pale, her breath was weak, and she was still trembling. They took off the ripped leather armor and swathe her hip with the gauze.  
Regina entered the room exactly when they finished. She was holding a flask in her hand. David moved to make her pass, not losing a single second of what was happening. He was still alert since the battle, like if it didn't actually ended. He didn't know why. Snow's hand found his, and he stared at her. She darted a glance at Regina and then at the door.   
He gave a look at the bed again. Regina, kneeled next to the bed, was gently holding Rapunzel's head up, and now was slowly making her drink the water.   
David gazed back at Snow, and her eyebrows lifted in a mute question. He nodded and they silently walked out of the Captain's room.

“ How is she?” Emma asked as her parent came back on the deck. She was adjusting to her belt the sword that Hook had just given to her. The pirate was sharping his hook behind her.   
“ She...” Snow began, but David stopped her.  
“ She's bad, Emma. You have to go now, and run as fast as you can to tell Rumplestiltskin that we need him if you want to save her. He'll take you back here in a heartbeat with his magic.”  
Father and daughter looked at each other for a long moment. When she nodded, he gave her the tiniest of his smiles. “ Go.” he said in a hurry tone.   
Emma tensely smirked at him.   
“ All aboard!” she then archly said. Hook jumped laughing on the boat, stretching one arm towards Emma. She took his hand, but before she could go on the boat Mary Margaret's voice held her still.  
“ Be careful Em.” she said to her daughter, clearly worried. Emma tried to reassure her with a brave smile.  
“ Don't worry. I'm the fucking Savior, and I'm gonna save my son and Rapunzel. I'll be here before you notice I'm gone.”   
She smiled and jumped on the boat without Hook's help.

Rapunzel was violently shaking. Her eyes rolled upside down for a few, terrible moments. Regina put a hand on her forehead. She was burning.   
Regina's hand was quickly getting cornered by a weak, purple light, but the warrior's hand grabbed fiercely her wrist.  
“ Don't! “ she said with a broken voice.   
Regina looked in her reddened eyes. The light blue of her irises was hypnotizing with that contrast. “ You'd need some rest...”   
“ No!” She coughed, and her face contorted in a pain expression. She let go her wrist, and her arm fell heavily on the blankets. “ No. If I fall asleep, I won't wake up. Believe me.”   
Regina took a deep breath, then nodded. So she almost killed her, trying to help her. Fine.   
“ Listen. It's not Emma's fault.” the warrior said, her eyes shut, probably in the effort to concentrate enough to speak.  
The confusion assaulted the brunette. “ What are you talking about?”   
“ She won't be in time, but it's not her fault. None can help me now, but it's fine, I...”  
“ Stop saying bullshit, Rapunzel! You'll heal. Rumplestiltskin will heal you. “   
She smiled sadly. “ Oh sure, he would, if he was here. But he's not. So listen to me.”   
“ He's not, but he will.”  
She smiled again. “ Aye, but too late. Regina, please, let me talk. I have little time.”   
Regina nodded angrily. She wasn't dying. She couldn't be dying. “ Okay, talk. But you have time.”  
“ Aye, sure. However... I didn't want to betray you. I just wanted you to do the right thing.”  
Regina's eyes widened. “ I know it, Rapunzel, you don't have to...”  
“ No, wait. You think I didn't want to kill Snow White because I thought it was wrong.”  
Regina thought about it. It sounded right. “ Yes. Isn't it?”  
“ No. Oh, well, aye, but not only for that. I mean, obviously it was wrong, but not only for her. It would have been wrong for you. You would have payed for having done the wrong thing. Once you would realize that she was innocent, you'd been destroyed. That's why I did it.”  
Regina was speechless. She'd never thought about that. The fact that she thought about her, and not about Snow, moved her. None had ever done it before, not knowing what she had done at least. But she was right. Rapunzel was absolutely right. But one thing. “ She's not exactly innocent...”  
The warrior chuckled, holding a cough. “ Indeed. She's a badass with that bow. “  
Regina managed to smile.   
Rapunzel was visibly trying hard to stay awake.” Regina...”   
Her eyes fixed in Rapunzel's. She had a strange look, familiar and unknown at the same time. Regina felt a similar sensation on her stomach. Now she was really confused.   
“ Tell me.”  
The warrior stayed silent for a while, just staring at her. She still had that odd look. Regina's heart started beating faster, and she didn't even know why.   
“ Just... I may tell you weird things. You know, the fever... Just, don't listen to me. Better, go out. Wait for your son on the deck. The sky is gorgeous tonight. Watch it for me.”  
Regina's hand reached Rapunzel's, making her give a jump as if she had burned her. Another hint of confusion stabbed Regina's mind.   
“ I'll wait here with you. You'll have to forgive me for this, too.” she sassily smiled at the other woman.  
But the smile suddenly disappeared from her face when an uncontrolled smile lighted Rapunzel's face, and a single, bright tear slid over her cheek.


	11. Save her

Snow and David came back in the cabin twenty minutes later. Regina was now sitting on the bed, one hand in Rapunzel's, the other on her shoulder as to comfort her. Snow White remembered of all the times she did it with her, when her father died. But she was faking then. Now she was sincere, Snow was sure. After all, she had no reason to pretend her worrying...  
A moan interrupted her train of thoughts: Rapunzel arched her back, a grimace of pain on her face. She then fell back on the bed. Her breath was accelerated but irregular, and she was even paler than before.   
“ Hold on, he's coming...” Regina murmured, squeezing her hand.   
No, she was not faking at all.   
“ Regina I'm... I'm losing control, I... could say stupid things. Senseless things. Don't listen to me. It's not me speaking, it's the poison...” the warrior said quickly, as if she had little time left to say the most important thing in the world to the only one who could save it. The pain interrupted her and left her breathless, close to faint.   
“ It's alright Rapunzel, don't worry.” Regina shyly caressed her cheek while talking. “ Don't worry...” her voice broke. She swallowed hard, trying to calm down. Snow acted instinctually: she reached the bed and put a hand on Regina's shoulder, forcing herself to smile althought she was dying inside. They were about to lose her. And she promised her she wouldn't let her die. She saved her life, so she owed her the same favor. But, actually, she could do nothing for her, and that made her go crazy.   
“ Hey, hero, how are you?” she asked her, hoping with all herself she would smile. Rapunzel tried, but she was evidently too weak to really do it.   
“ Hero is a little too much for a mercenary...” a weak cough stopped her. She was closing her eyes. Regina's hand on her face made them open again.   
“ I must disagree.” she said, smiling. Rapunzel stared at her with an unmistakable adoring expression on her tired face. So, that's what she was talking about. Losing control.   
Snow wondered if Regina had finally noticed Rapunzel's feelings towards her. Judging by her still worried expression, probably not. Maybe she refused them. Maybe she thought none could love her anymore. Or simply she couldn't recognize love anymore. Snow promised herself to talk with the stepmother about that.   
“ Hold on Rapunzel, magic is coming.”   
The woman smiled again, but her eyes closed. Regina called her, at first softly, then louder, and finally shaking her by her shoulder. David suddenly moved. He reached them, moved Snow and Regina aside and touched her neck with two fingers.   
“ Shit!” he murmured, antsy, lifting the warrior from the bed and putting her on the floor. Then he began trying to reanimate her with the cardiac massage.   
“ Come on, beat!”   
He continued trying, with no results. But he didn't stop, not for a second. He tried the mouth-to-mouth too, but Rapunzel didn't open her eyes. After a while Snow put a hand on his arm, bright tears sliding through her cheeks, her heart cracked by the sight of the friend's lifeless body lying on the ground.  
“ David...”  
“ No!” he exclaimed, going on with the massage. “ There's still time...”   
“ David she's...”  
“ Don't you dare to say it!” Regina growled, glowering at her with wet, dark eyes. “ Don't you dare give up. There's still time. And Rumplestiltskin is very powerful. She'll live. “ a single tear slid on her face. “ We promised her.”   
The two women looked at each other for several seconds. A hint of comprehension flew between them. Snow nodded and eyed David, still working to keep her heart beating. He glanced at her, filling her eyes with his reassuring determination. She will live, she thought. She had to believe it. 

Four minutes later, that for the three of them seemed an eternity, a dark fog invaded the opposite angle of the cabin and Rumplestilskin, Emma, Henry and Hook appeared just after it disappeared.   
“ Henry!” Regina exclaimed, and the kid run to her and hugged her tight. “ Are you okay, sweetheart?”   
“ Yes mom, but...” he looked at the pale body on the floor with wide eyes.   
“ D-don't worry kid, she'll be fine.” Emma said. She had followed him, and now she was staring at Rapunzel with the same expression of her son. “ Right?” she asked to Snow.   
The woman forced herself to nod and smile. Emma's eyes got wet. “ Come on kid, let them help her. Let's go on the deck. Come on. “   
Henry gazed at Regina, who nodded. “ Yes, go. I'll come in a minute.”   
She kissed his forehead before he went, gratefully eying Emma. She, the boy and Hook left the room.   
Regina focused again on Rapunzel. Rumplestiltskin was crouched beside her, a hand, darkly brightened, right above the wound. His eyes were closed, he looked to be totally concentrated, but as she looked at his face, he opened them, staring at her.   
“ I'm not sure I'm powerful enough, dearie...” he whispered.   
The rage exploded in Regina's chest. “ Save. Her.” she articulated, making him grin.  
“ Ah, my creature...” he murmured, eyes down, then back on her. “ Help me with your rage, Regina.” His other hand was stretched towards her, as an invite. “ Together, neither death can challenge us. Rip her hearth out. Order her to live. “   
At first Regina thought that he was kidding her. But she had never seen him so serious.   
She kneeled next to Rapunzel, opposite to Rumple and David, who was still making the cardiac massage. He looked at her shaking his head.  
“ It won't work, Regina, it's absurd, don't do it. You'll kill her.”   
“ No.” Snow intervened, standing behind him. “ Do it.”   
“ But Snow, it's just...”  
“ Do it.” she repeated, ignoring David, eyes fixed in Regina's. “ You're the only one who can save her.”  
Regina felt confused, but Snow White and, much more important, Rumplestiltskin, were absolutely convinced that it would work.   
She looked at Charming. “ Stop.”   
He hesitated, but then he stopped. Immediately Regina pushed her hand inside Rapunzel's chest, reaching for her heart. Then something strange happened. The heart, at first almost lukewarm, suddenly warmed. When Regina ripped it out it was heavy in her hand, heavier than any heart she had ever ripped out, and incredibly bright. It pulsed weakly, alternating an odd combination of light and darkness with every soft beat. She pulled it close to her mouth. “ Live.” she whispered to it. Rapunzel's body had a convulsion. “ Live!” she repeated, louder, and another start moved her body. Regina pushed again her hand in her chest, and the warrior opened her eyes wide, raising sat. She looked at her, breathless, as if she had just saw something unbelievable. Regina's hand was still inside her. She looked down and her eyes, if possible, widened even more. Regina gave a relieved smile and pulled back her hand, making her falter. Rapunzel coughed, remembering to breath. She looked back at Regina, weeping, without the strength to cry. “ You... you...” she whispered, staring astonishingly at the brunette.  
Snow hugged her by one side. She didn't even notice it.   
Rumplestiltskin smirked. “ Hey don't give all the credit to her! I saved you, too, dearie! “   
Rapunzel blinked as if she just woke up from a dream.   
She tiredly smirked at Rumple. “ Seems like I owe you another favor, Dark One.” she said with a hint of voice.  
“ This one is free, for an affectionate client!”   
They laughed together as two old friends. Rapunzel stopped for coughing. She lifted her skirt and looked at the wound, now a scar, on her hip. “ Good job, Mr. Gold.” she slightly laughed.   
“ How do you know that name?” he asked in surprise.  
“ Emma called you that way once, but Henry had told me before.”   
“ Henry!” Regina suddenly stood up. “ He'll be worried...” she said already walking towards the door.   
“ Regina!” Rapunzel stopped her, a hint of pain in her voice. The brunette turned to look at her. “ Thank you.” she said after some seconds of hesitation.   
Regina blinked, a little confused by the pleasing feeling that those two, simple words gave her. She nodded and almost ran out of the cabin.


	12. The truth you don't know

Henry jumped on her and hugged her tightly. “ You healed! “   
“ Yes, little Prince, did you doubt about that?” Rapunzel asked, holding him with a smile.  
“ Henry, easy! She's still weak...” Snow said, right behind them.  
“ I'm never weak!”   
“ Uh-uh, sure!”   
Emma joined them, followed by Killian. “ Hey, how are you?” she asked, still worried.   
“ "Okay"...?” the warrior answered, making her laugh.   
“ Yeah, right! You'll be fine in Storybrooke.”   
The smile suddenly disappeared from Rapunzel's face. “ Am I coming with you?” She really looked surprised. Emma was more.  
“ Do you wanna stay here?”  
“ Well, no, but...”  
Snow wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “ Look Em, this way: you're coming with us, it's an order. No argue accepted.”   
Rapunzel laughed, and so Henry and Emma did.   
“ Alright, I surrender. I'll come to Storybrooke. “  
“ You'll like it! “ Henry said with a satisfied smile, and then hugged her again.  
Hook, who had stayed silent until that moment, smirked. “ Mh, let me tell you, M'lady, I'm not sure you'll like it.”  
“ Why?”  
“ After all these years in the jungle, that place could appear a little too... civilized to you.”  
Rapunzel arched an eyebrow. “ Sorry, what?”  
“ I mean...” he continued with hand and hook lifted, as to show that he was unarmed. “... that there are many things you don't know in that world. Strange things. As guns. And cars. “  
“ What are cars?”  
“ See?”   
“ They're like carriages, but they move without horses. “ Snow hurried to explain, glaring at Hook.   
“ So… with magic?”  
“ No, with the engine!” Henry said smiling. “ It makes the wheels move.”  
“ How?”  
“ Well this is... complicated. “ Emma intervened with an apologizing smile. “ Really. “  
Rapunzel shrugged. “ Oh, well... they're for moving, isn't it?”  
“ Yes.”  
“ And they move.”  
“ Yes.”  
The warrior smiled. “ Nothing else needed.”   
Killian similed widely. “ I like your pragmatism.”  
“ I bet there's something else you like about me, Captain.”  
Hook, unexpectedly, blushed, making the women laugh hard.   
“ Hit and sunk!” Emma exclaimed with a smirk.  
“ Better if I go back steering.” he murmured, eying wickedly the three women. “ Witches.” he added after a while with a grin.  
“ I heard you!” Regina screamed from the helm place, the wind that blew her hair back, showing her face. She was pretending to be offended, but as Henry began to laugh, she smiled, making Rapunzel's heart skip a couple of beats.   
“ Pirate!” Regina added, and the pirate in question laughed looking up to her.  
“ Proud!” he yelled in response.  
“ If you say so...” she glowered at him.   
Rapunzel felt somehow uncomfortable at that gaze. He was grinning at her. She suddenly realized that she was nothing less than jealous! A suffocated laugh erupted from her, surprising the others.   
“ What?” Emma asked, eyebrows lifted.  
“ Oh, nothing, I remembered a thing... so, Captain, do we go?”  
“ Absolutely.” Hook answered walking fast towards the helm and indicating the sea to Regina with a waving hand. “ If you show us the path...”   
Regina smirked, and another hint of jealousy hit Rapunzel. The former Evil Queen took one bean from her pocket and held it between two fingers, watching it glow in the sunlight. In the meanwhile, the rest of the group had gathered closer to her. Henry and Emma were right behind her.   
“ What about Tamara? And the Shadow? We'll never know why he wanted you, Henry.” Regina said gazing at her son.  
The boy shrugged. “ I don't care. I mean, I'm curious, but it's better if we go back home...”   
“ Of course you are...” she smiled, eying Emma for a brief moment. The younger woman was surprised at first, but then she tried to smile.  
“ Yeah, right, but now throw that magic shit out of this ship and let's go home!”  
Regina's eyes glittered in amusement although she pretended to be outraged. “ You're language is inappropriate for a child, Miss Swan. “  
Emma blushed a little but then, recognizing the Mayor's expression, she hid a smile. “ Sorry, kid.” she said almost smiling, without taking her eyes off of Regina's. The brunette devilishly smiled.   
“ You should do it. “ she said, handing her the bean. “ You're the Savior after all: save us.”   
She smiled again. That sassy, enjoying, devilish smile of her own. Rapunzel almost died of a heart attack.   
“ W-what the hell, Regina?! Why should I do it? I don't know what to do! What if we end up in another world because...”  
“ You only have to think of Storybrooke while throwing it outboard. It's easy. Even Hook can do it!”  
“ Hey!!!” he exclaimed, upset.  
Regina sneered at him. “ No offense, dear.” she said, evidently lying.  
He murmured something incomprehensible and went back looking around, worried for possible incoming enemies. Actually they weren't exactly protected in the middle of the sea.   
“ Whatever you'll decide, ladies, hurry up. “ Rapunzel suggested, making them look at her.   
“ Right.” Emma murmured before grabbing the bean from Regina's hand and walking to the corner of the ship. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “ Storybrooke. “ she whispered, nodding to herself. “ You can do it, Swan. “   
She opened her eyes and threw the bean in the sea. The portal opened as a maelstrom, immediately pulling the ship toward its center. 

They found themselves in calm waters. There was only blue around them, over and under them. Only the single bright spot of the sun broke the color, light on the sky, incredibly dark on the water. Deep water, so. A weak wind barely made them move. The Jolly Roger was heavily gliding over the plane mass of water. After the fall in the portal, all that quiet seemed unnatural to them.   
Hook rotated the helm and the ship slowly turned right.   
“ Are we in the right sea?” an almost terrorized Emma asked with narrowed eyes. Everyone looked at Hook. He shrugged.  
“ I guess. We'll see, anyway.”  
Rapunzel chuckled. “ True.” she murmured just before walking to the bow. She concentrated, put a hand on her eyes, tensed for a few seconds and then took back the hand. She was now looking at the horizon with wide-open eyes. An almost invisible purple fog was dancing in her pupils. Snow, who had followed her, widened her eyes for the surprise: it was and absurd sight.   
“ Is your town right on the sea, with high palaces all almost of the same color and a... tower? A tower with an odd thing on it. I really don't know what that could be. It's circular and white and has some numbers on the corner.” She blinked repeatedly and the fog disappeared. She was now looking at Snow White. “ What the hell was that? It was enormous! “  
“ It... A clock. It's a clock.” the brunette answered with a shocked expression on her face. “ You can see so far away?”   
Rapunzel's eyebrows lifted. “ What's a clock?”  
“ An instrument to measure time, dearie. And, miss Blanchard, that spell is called Dragon Eyes. Many archers used to ask me to put it on them. “   
Snow almost ignored Rumplestiltskin. Almost. “ Are you an archer?”   
Rapunzel stifled a laughter. “ No. Well, I can use a bow, but it is not my favorite weapon. I like swords. As you surely noticed. “   
“ So why do you know that spell?”  
“ 'Cause I thought it could be useful during battles. I mean, sometimes you have to check the zone before the attack, and doing it from a distance is better, if you want to survive. Plus, when fighting, knowing where exactly the archers are hidden is very useful. I could avoid many arrows thanks to it. The details are impressive with that sight. “  
“ Oh.” Snow commented, forcing herself to close her mouth. “ And you just taught her?” she suddenly asked to Rumple. He grinned.  
“ She did it on her own. She's a very talented autodidact. And a passionate reader. That side of you reminds me of Belle...” he added, smirking at the warrior.  
“ Well I guess that that was a compliment. “ It was more like a question than a statement. Rumplestiltskin nodded to the warrior, and she shyly smiled. “ Oh, well, then... thank you.”   
She looked embarrassed. Snow felt a little of sympathy for her. It was probable that the warrior had never received a compliment before.   
“ How distant was Storybrooke? “ she asked, forcing herself no not ask something else.   
Rapunzel skeptically eyed the sails. “ With this wind? We'll be there tomorrow's late morning, I guess. “   
“ In time for lunch! “ Emma had just appeared behind them. “ I'm so hungry!”   
“ Sorry that my stockpile wasn't enough for you all. It was meant to be for one person.” Rapunzel said, pressing her lips together in a tiny smile.  
She really seemed sorry. Emma immediately regretted her words. “ No, it's just that I need real food. Like a hamburger. Double cheese. Bacon. Shit I can't think about it now...” she murmured with a hand on her stomach.   
“ Are you that hungry, Em?” Snow asked, eying her daughter. It wasn't like they didn't eat. She was a little hungry, too, but not that much.   
“ No it's just that...” She stopped talking. Her skin had turned green. She ran to the bulwark and leaned over it just a second before vomiting whatever she had in her stomach. Snow run to her and took her hair before it got dirty.   
When she finished, she rubbed gently her back with one hand and smiled at her daughter.   
“ Hey, is all right?”  
“ Yes, I just... I guess was the stress, for Henry and...” she eyed quickly the warrior. Rapunzel gave a start. Neither compliments nor care for her, so.   
“ It's normal, Em, don't worry...”  
David came running. “ Hey! Are you okay, Em?”   
“ I'm fine, overprotective dad.”   
They smiled at each other, and Snow too couldn't help but smile. A wide, open smile. Love burnt warm in her chest.  
“ Emma, you should eat something. Down in the kitchen there's some bread. It's a little hard, but it's good. Hook won't protest.” the warrior suggested with a sympathetic look.   
The Savior smiled at her. “ Thanks.”   
Snow turned to watch her. “ Do you want some?”  
“ No, thank you. I've already eaten it.”   
“ And you didn't offered it to us? What a horrible person you are!” Snow objected, snorting and smiling.  
They laughed together, and even Emma and Rumple did a little.   
“ I'm a bit angry, in truth. May I come with you? I'll leave a second after I took what I'm looking for.” Rumplestiltskin said with a kind smile.   
“ You don't have to leave! We're family. “ Emma said, and something passed between them. He nodded, and they walked towards the door that led below deck. Snow stopped after three paces.  
“ David, do you...”  
“ I'll join you in a minute.”   
Snow felt a little confused, but his smile made her nod.   
“ Okay.”   
She turned and reached the door through where her daughter and the Dark One had disappeared.

David turned to look at the woman, as tall as he was. That made always feel him weird. Ruby was the tallest woman he knew, and she reached his nose, but she was skinny. Rapunzel... well, she was all muscles. Her shoulders were almost as large as his! It was like if he felt that his masculinity was in danger next to her. But obviously it wasn't. Because, somehow, she always appeared nothing less than graceful when she moved, so much that sometimes he wondered if he had just imagined all those muscles. But then she took her sword and... well, her moves were still fluent with it, but in a lethal way. She surely could kill him in a duel. Then, virility in danger again.   
“ Rapunzel I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for us. For Snow and Henry, particularly. I didn't really thank you before.”  
The woman smiled. “ You did well before: you don't have to thank me.”   
He snorted with a smile. “ Of course I have to. However it went with Snow, you saved them both. “   
He smiled and left before she could reply. 

The warrior was leaning on the bulwark, watching the sea they were cutting in two with the hull. The water was reddened by the sunset.   
Her tress was slightly moved by the fresh wind, oscillating between her legs, a little apart to maintain the balance.   
Regina joined her, distractedly touching the wooden bulwark at her left. Rapunzel gave her a glance, then went back looking at the sea, but with a little, uncontrolled smile on her lips.   
“ How are you?” the brunette asked, watching the sea in turn. There was something wrong in her voice. Regina damned herself for letting her emotions show.  
“ Fine. Alive. “ the blonde answered, turning to watch her. Her eyes narrowed. “ You?”   
Regina had a start, but couldn't help but show a tiny smile. “ Fine. Alive. “   
They both smiled. Rapunzel smile was decidedly wider than Regina's. There was a moment of silence before that the former Queen spoke again. “ How could it happen?”   
“ What?” Rapunzel asked in confusion.  
“ You to be wounded. H o w c o u l d i t h a p p e n?”  
Rapunzel tried to smile. “ It happens to anyone, sooner or later. Especially with the Lost Boys around.”   
“ I thought you had stopped lying to me.” There was anger in her voice, she could hear it by herself. Actually, she was very angry.   
Rapunzel gave a start, then there was a long moment of silence.   
“ Why do you care? I'm fine now.”   
“ Your heart was bright.”  
“ What?”   
“ Why was it so bright? You killed people! And even worse, if what they said was true! Our heart can't be bright. Yours was dazzling!”  
“ Regina...”  
“ Why don't you hate me?”   
Silence again. For a while.   
“ I can't.”   
That was the most sincere answer she'd ever gave her, Regina could see it.   
“ Why?” she asked in a whisper. She was so desperate to understand that she felt her eyes fill with tears. Rapunzel had a sad look on her face, but also the tiniest of the smiles.   
“ Because I... I forgave you.” she said, swallowing.   
“ Why?! Even Snow White stopped forgiving me! Why you didn't? How can you still protect me, when they're right? And you know it! You...”  
“ They may be right about some things, Regina, but they don't... know you. They know nothing. They can't understand what hate is. Or what be afraid of betrayal can be. I do. I've been afraid of it for so long I... but I'm done with that. I'm not afraid anymore. And I want you to be free, too. And safe. I swore I'd protect you, and I'm going to keep my promise. I always do. I swore I'd served you, too, and I'm doing it. That's all.”  
Regina just stayed silent. She heard her words, yes. But did she believe her? No. She kind of managed to know when she was lying, and she most certainly was. Tensed shoulders, closed fists, repeated swallows and blinking. Something was true in what she said, but she couldn't say what. Yet she was confused. Why lie to her? And why...  
“ Why is your heart so bright?”   
“ It isn't.”  
“ It was in my hand. It most certainly is.”  
“ I don't know.”   
“ You're lying. Again. Why? “ Regina let the pain and the anger full her voice. That woman really understood her, she was the only one who truly did, but she continually betrayed her trust. And that was almost the worst thing she could do to her. And she knew. Why was she doing it? She had to know.  
Rapunzel stayed silent for a few seconds. She seemed uncertain. And... desperate. “ Regina, please, stop...”  
“ Why?!” she almost cried, at the limit of her patience.   
The warrior sobbed. “ So that I can go on protecting you. I am afraid.” she finally murmured.  
Regina frowned. “ This doesn't even make sense! And you said you weren't afraid anymore! And... why should I trust you and let you protect me if you continue lying to me? I don't even need your protection! “  
“ Because she's a good person. And she's kindly telling you to mind your business, Miss Mills. If you didn't notice. “   
Emma seemed to have run to them. She probably did.   
Regina must have talked louder than she wanted.   
The Savior was smiling. She had tried with a joke. She had failed. Regina was still furious. She was about to answer to Miss Swan, but Rapunzel's voice anticipated hers.  
“ Regina please, trust me! I'd tell you if I could. I'm just protecting you. You know I'd never hurt you...” she was almost in tears. Regina considered her words, than rage decided for her. She turned and walked away.

“ Hey, are you okay?” Emma's hand reached her arm. Rapunzel nodded, holding back words and tears.   
“ Aye. Thank you.” Her eyes said it more than her mouth. She never meant it so hard.   
“ No problem. I owed you, however. “ Emma smiled, but the warrior didn't.   
“ Why don't ya just say it to her?”  
“ What?!” Rapunzel's eyes were enormous. Emma could barely hold back a laughter.  
“ It's clear as sun, Rapunzel. Actually, I don't really know how she can't realize it.”  
“ But I've never told anyone...”  
Another giggle had to stay in her throat. “ T h e w a y y o u l o o k a t h e r.”  
“ Oh.”  
“ Yep.”   
Rapunzel felt like if the ship was sinking. Maybe she hoped it would. “ Shit.”  
This time Emma laughed. “ Why? It's not a problem, and we won't tell her if you don't want. But you should. Or you'll loose her. You can't go on lying to her, isn't it?”  
“ I'd never lie to her if it wasn't necessary...”  
“ Why do you think it's necessary? It would be great if...”  
“ Don't say it, Emma!” Rapunzel exclaimed, her eyes suddenly wet. Emma was astonished. “ It'll never happen. So don't let me hope.” added with lower voice.   
Emma stared at her. If she thought she was strong, now... well, now she seemed just broken. Her eyes were a desperate request. She felt sympathy for her, and Rapunzel, unfortunately, noticed.   
A bitter laughter crumbled the air between them. “ I can live with it. I did it till now.”  
Emma snorted. “ Listen, I know how it sucks, and...”  
“ Do you?” the warrior asked with real interest. She believed her, and it was amazing. Emma expected anger, not a question.  
“ I do, and I know that that's not living. Not really.” Her eyes fell on the short silhouette of her son, at the helm with Hook. “ Henry made me realize it. We can't be alone.” she looked back at the woman. She was gently smiling.   
“ I'm not alone.”  
Emma sighed. It was impossible to talk with that woman. She was just too kind to have the strength to hurt her with he truth. “ But you're not happy.”  
Rapunzel gave a short, bitter cackle. “ And who is, Emma? Are you? Are your parents, even with their True Love? Is Rumplestiltskin, with all his power? Or Hook? And Henry? Let alone Regina, who, well... she was never happy.” She suddenly stopped and widened her eyes for a moment, as if realizing she said too much. She sighed and tried to smile again, with no results. “ Sorry. It was... exaggerated. Your parents probably are happy, after all. They're all kisses and adoring smiles.”  
Now her smile was true. Emma succeeded in laughing a little, though she couldn't stop thinking about her words.   
“ I know, it's...”  
“ Saccharine.”  
“ Yeah.” Emma said laughing with the warrior.   
Rapunzel spoke again after a long staring moment. “ Friend, don't think too much 'bout it. We'll fix it. Each of you will find happiness.” There was a tiny smile on her lips.   
Emma sighed again. “ Each of us, Rapunzel. You're included.” she said, but the woman answered with a sad smile.   
Emma barely noticed. She was still thinking about that word: "friend". 

“ Regina?” Snow White's voice called her. The former Evil Queen stifled a sigh and turned to look at her. “ Can I talk to you?”  
One eyebrow lifted on the Mayor's face. “ If it's strictly necessary...”   
Snow sighed. “ It is.” she murmured. Regina nodded once. “ Good. Ehm...” she began, but then stopped speaking. Several moments of silence after, Regina cleared her throat.   
“ Very eloquent, Snow...”  
The woman blushed a little. “ Right. Well, you know, it's... hard to find the... words.”  
Regina sighed. She didn't want to listen to her heartfelt speech about their past. “ Listen, if it is about us...”  
“ No, no! It's about you. And... someone else.” Snow was evidently embarrassed.   
“ Snow White, if you're gonna talk about my mother...”  
“ No no no! Absolutely. I mean... I was talking about... Rapunzel.” she finally said as if it was the heaviest word she'd ever said.   
Regina's eyebrows twitched up.   
“ Rapunzel?”  
“ Yes!” she exclaimed it as it was obvious. But it absolutely wasn't.   
They both looked at the woman, talking with Emma on the prow. Regina gazed at Snow as she was the silliest person in the world. Thing that she actually thought.  
“ What?”  
“ She... Regina, are you telling me that you really don't know it?”  
Snow was disconcerted, and showed it in that exaggerated way she always showed her emotions. Her eyes were bigger than a frog's. Regina, on the other hand, was quickly going towards exasperation.   
“ What are you talking about?” she asked with her husky voice. Which meant that Snow was risking to be punched. Oh, how she'd have loved to do it!  
“ She...” Snow began, but suddenly stopped, moved closer to Regina and talked with a lower tone, almost a whisper. “ ...She loves you, Regina! How can't you see it?”   
Regina stared at her for several minutes. That was absurd. Simply absurd. Rapunzel didn't love her. Not in the way Snow's voice suggested. The girl understood nothing, as usual. A low laughter erupted from her throat.   
“ Oh, you're so... Snow White, you didn't understand anything. Perhaps she cares about me, but she betrayed me to save your life. And she continually lies to me. You see love everywhere, idi...”  
“ She lies because she doesn't want you to know it, so that you won't feel guilty! And you know that she didn't betray you, she wanted you to be happy! She was ready to die, Regina! I saw it. She was ready to have her heart ripped out and crushed by you, just to try to protect you by yourself! And she was ready to die to save you in Neverland...”  
“ She was protecting us all...”  
“ And casually she put you and Emma in the middle of us to protect you, though it was evident that you didn't need protection!”  
“ You said it right, she put me and Emma. According to your dubious reasoning she loves Emma, too!”  
“ Emma couldn't fight against the Lost Boys with that gun, she understood it! And she didn't just smiled at her after almost forty years of exile in the most dangerous land of all! What but love could make one forgive you for this?”  
Regina opened her mouth, but the words stayed locked in her mind. She looked at the warrior, still talking with the Savior. When she looked back at Snow White, the woman had a kinder gaze.   
Regina swallowed and tried again to speak. “ I didn't know she was there. I didn't send here to Neverland. The ring did. “  
“ Which ring?” the younger woman asked in confusion.  
“ A magic one. It was like a portal. “  
“ Why Neverland?” Snow asked after a moment of thinking.   
Regina shrugged. “ I don't know, but it is possible it was to save Henry.” She looked at her son, laughing happily at the helm at something funny Hook said. “ The ring brings people where they're meant to be, and if she wasn't there he...” her voice menaced to break, so she stopped talking and lowered her gaze down on the black ocean. Billions of stars reflected on the almost flat surface.   
The silence lasted too long. She looked at Snow, and the woman was smiling at her.  
“ Henry, uh?”   
That knowing smile was annoying. Really. Fortunately, Snow decided to walk away.   
She was wrong. It couldn't be. Regina looked at Rapunzel. Their eyes met. Her conversation with Emma was ended, it seemed. The warrior slightly smiled at her, then quickly turned and looked away toward the horizon they were trying to reach. It was impossible. Snow was wrong. Right?


	13. A new life

The sunrise watered her face with pale colors. She had been gazing up at the stars all night, the beautiful sounds of the ocean as company, and sometimes the bottle of rum that Killian brought her when he could leave the helm. He was really likable, kind and fascinating. A gentleman pirate. And it was obvious he liked women. One in particular. The one he had talked about all night. Especially after that bottle of rum, the second one that they shared. Well, shared... he had actually drank it all, but a little sip she had managed to steal. And then he had begun to talk about Emma, and he didn't stop until he had fallen asleep upon the helm. He was still there, covered by a blanket she had taken from his cabin. She hadn't moved him. She'd never loose the occasion to make the group laugh so hard. His position was at least exhilarating. Plus, he held the ship straight, so that now the land was right in front of the vessel, far and fogged, but visible.  
“ It seems that our Captain is sunk in the deep dream's sea...”   
The well-known voice made her smile. Rapunzel turned and looked at her old friend.   
“ There's bad blood between you two, isn't it? “   
Rumplestiltskin showed his surprise. “ How do you know that?”  
She gave him a knowing smile. “ I know you. And he glares at you everytime he has the occasion to.”  
The Dark One softly laughed. “ You've always been a good observer after all, dearie...”  
“ Mh. For this you wanted me? Because I can see.”  
They stared at each other for several minutes, the little morning waves the only sound around them. He finally smirked.   
“ I suppose.”   
She narrowed her eyes, but nodded after glancing down.   
“ Do you hate me for this? For... what I put you through?”  
Rapunzel stared at him in total surprise. He seemed really worried. And, perhaps, a little sorry.   
She thought about it. Did she hate him? No, absolutely, she realized with an inner laugh, that soon became external.  
“ No, Rumple, why should I? I... I think you had your reasons to do it. Everyone has their own demons.”  
That, that one on the Dark One's face, that was real surprise. Then it became relief, and... gratitude?   
“ You truly remember me of Belle, dearie.”  
“ I can't wait to meet her.” she commented with a smirk. “ Is she human?”  
“ Yes, yes...” he answered laughing.   
“ Why? It was a legit question!”   
“ I know, I know, it's just that I'm no more used to such questions. There are, well, there were only humans in this world.”  
“ What do you mean? No animals? Or no ogres, werewolves, fairies, dwarves, dragons...”  
“ The second you said. “  
“ Oh.” she simply said, still thinking about it. “ Boring.” she commented after a while, making him laugh again.  
“ Not as you may think.”  
“ You two make a damn loud noise when you're tog... is he alive?”   
Snow had just finished the short stair to the deck, and was now worriedly looking at Hook.   
“ Aye. He's just drunk. Thought you should see this.” the warrior sneered.   
Snow alternated her gaze between her and the pirate, then fixed it on the last one, and finally laughed so hard that she had to crouch down. Killian didn't give signs of life but a little grunt. Snow almost died asphyxiated.   
Prince Charming came and, as he saw Hook, he looked down at his wife and tried to stifle his laughter.   
“ Why is he in such conditions?”  
“ He...ahahaha! He's...” Snow White tried to answer, but she was laughing too hard to succeed. Rapunzel explained it for her. David, inevitably, began laughing. Her devilish plan was working, she thought smiling wickedly. Rumplestiltskin laughed as if he could read her mind. Probably he did. However, she didn't bother: he already knew everything about her. Not that she had any secret, but one for Regina.  
Emma reached her parents with her son at her side, both awakened by the noise, and she almost immediately joined their laughters, as Henry did.  
Regina was the last one to reach the deck. When she did, she barely looked at Hook, smiled tightly at Henry and went on the bow. She didn't even looked at her. Rapunzel felt a burning wound scratch her heart. She looked back at the rest of the group, and noticed that Snow had stopped laughing and was now watching Regina with a worried face. Their eyes met, but the green ones quickly looked away, back on the still sleeping pirate. Something else hurt inside her. What had happened between the two women? She was about to ask her but Emma forestalled her.  
“ Mom, can we have a talk?”   
The unusual calling temporarily distracted her, enough to make the two woman disappear. It was weird to hear Snow White, that same young bandit woman that she met in the forest, to be called "mom". She was still that girl to her. The girl who accidentally crushed her love's heart. Just the victim of another victim. 

Regina was shattered. Snow was right. But she had to be wrong!   
She had thought about it all night long. Rapunzel's behavior actually was unusual. It had always been. But she had always thought that she was simply made so. It was just logical to her. But now it wasn't anymore. That look in her eyes... she noticed it everytime the warrior looked at her, but she had always refused it. Now she finally realized it. That look made her feel that way. As if... No, she didn't know. She thought that she would never find the words to describe that feeling: she only understood that it was deep and, somehow, painful. She thought it was guilt, because she unconsciously knew that Rapunzel loved her, but she always treated her as any servant. And when she put that ring on... yes, Regina remembered that gaze. It was a goodbye, the one that the warrior gives to the lover before the last battle. She was a warrior, she remembered to herself with an inner smile. She knew such things. She probably thought she would have died. Or maybe she hoped it. No. Rapunzel wasn't that kind of person, or she wouldn't be there, still breathing. There, with all the others...   
Regina hadn't had the strength to look at her. She had felt her eyes on her, as always, but now... Before, she had always felt safe under that look. She thought that that was the look every guard gives to the person they have to protect. A checking look, like "okay, she's fine, mission accomplished, now let's kick some threatening ass". Damn, she was beginning to talk, worse, think as Emma. As a Savior. She laughed innerly at herself. The world was upside down: a damn good-hearted warrior loved her, Snow White was right and she thought as a Boston True Love's product. And Rapunzel loved her. Those three words had kept her awake all night. She had sent her to Neverland! If Daniel did it to her... she couldn't think about it. Even the thought was unbearable, imagine... She'd probably have killed herself. Perhaps not. But if she didn't, and... Damn it, Shaya had forgiven her! She smiled at her when she saw her on the beach! Smiled! She would have killed her if she was Rapunzel. And she smiled. And looked at her that way. Again. But, no! It wasn't possible. That was just suggestion. It had to be.

“ Mary Margaret, what happened?”  
“ We were finally at "mom"! Don't regress, please!”   
She was smiling. Emma wasn't.  
“ Yes, later. Have you seen Rapunzel's face when Regina didn't greet her? What happened?”  
“ What? Why? How was her face?”  
“ Let's say it was better when she was almost dead. Now answer.”  
Snow smiled widely. “ I told her that she loves her. Regina was so confused, probab...”  
“ You did what?!?” the Savior almost screamed. That was a disaster! Regina's reactions to emotions were... well, violent. Everybody knew. Particularly her mother. How could she have...  
“ I told her. She had to know. Rapunzel deserves better than...”  
“ Are you crazy??”  
“ Emma, where's the problem?”   
Mary Margaret was truly confused, it was evident. Their matching eyes were widened for different reasons.  
“ Where's the problem? Where's the problem, mom? The problem is that Rapunzel didn't want her to know!”  
Her mother smiled again. She was uselessly trying to reassure her. “ She was just afraid...”  
“ Yes! And she was right! Shit! Have you seen Regina's face? “  
“ Yes! She realized that Rapunzel loves her. It's normal if she's a little shocked. I was too when I realized it.”  
“ No!”  
“ No?”  
“ I mean, yes, but... shit! She'll avoid her forever!”  
Mary Margaret paralyzed. She clearly didn't think about it. “ Shit...” she murmured.  
“ Yeah...”  
“ M-maybe she won't. Maybe they'll talk and...”  
“ Mom?”  
“ Uh?”  
“ It's Regina you're talking about.” Emma's skeptic gaze totally convinced the other woman.   
“ Right. Well, I...” She sighed loudly.” I'm a mess. I made...” her own bitter laughter interrupted her. “ Damn it! I've made the same mistake twice!”

There was a little crowd on the quay. Henry could see Archie with Pongo, Ruby, Granny, Ashley and Sean, Marco and August... that meant Jiminy, Red, Ella, Thomas, Geppetto and Pinocchio, he remembered to himself.  
Captain Hook anchored the ship. Henry ran down on the quay. First he hugged Pongo, that was happily barking and wagging his tail, under the happy laughter of Arch... Jiminy. He was the second to get the hug.   
“ How are you, Henry?” he asked smiling. His glasses couldn't hide his tears.   
“ Fine! They saved me! It was an adventure, it was great! I mean, I was scared, but I felt like a hero! Well, not exactly, but...”  
The man ruffled his hair laughing. “ Okay, I got it, brave boy! You'll tell me everything later. Now let me greet the rest of your family!”  
“ Can I take Pongo?”   
“ Sure! He'll like it! He missed you, as we all did!” Archie smiled at him, handed him the leash and walked behind him. Henry turned a little to see that he was now talking with his mom. Both of them, now. Emma had joined Regina in the conversation. Archie, mh, Jiminy hugged them both, together. Their faces were hilariously the same: surprised, a little irritated, but innerly pleased. Regina was the first to break the hug. Her face was still stained by irritation, but when she saw Henry laugh, she visibly stifled a laugh. Jiminy turned, saw him and laughed in turn, again. Emma was widely smiling at him. And he felt... happy. There wasn't another way to describe it. But still... the thought of his father never left him. His face darkened at that thought, and he turned to hide it.   
Ruby, waiting for his attention crouched in front of him, smiled. “ Hey, it's all right?”  
“ Uh, yup, sure.” he said without enthusiasm.   
She opened her arms. “ Then let me hug you, I need some comfort!”   
She smirked, and he got her game. It was a little tricking, but he understood she had good intentions. Henry hugged her, and the tension he accumulated flew a little away. Not a bad trick, after all.   
“ You know, I was very afraid for you all!” she continued, making him smile between her hair. She was warm, and her hug was reassuring as almost none else's. Emma's and his mom's were the only exceptions.  
“ For my mom, even?”   
“ Well, yes!” She distanced enough to look him in the eyes. “ She's by our side now. And she's your mom.”  
“ And my step-great-grandma. You know, I didn't really realize it till yesterday evening. Dunno why. But I'm a little confused now... “  
She chuckled. “ I see.”  
“ I mean, Emma is my mother, and mom is her step-grandma. It's weird.”  
“ Yeah, I know, I know. Guess you just have to get used with the idea. “  
“ Yeah, maybe.” he murmured, and Granny, now standing beside him, caressed his head.   
“ Have patience, Henry. Just think that you're safe now. Enjoy your return home.” the older woman said smiling. She was holding her crossbow in her hand, as always.   
He smiled at her, but he couldn't agree with her. He couldn't enjoy that place anymore. Everywhere there were his father's memories hiding, waiting for him to drop his guard and attack him with that infinite sadness. It was...  
“ Henry!” August's voice called him. His friend hugged him. “ How are you?”  
“ Fine.” Henry forced himself to smile. “ You?”  
“ Fine! Let's go play?”   
Henry thought about it. He wasn't sure he could play anymore. Not after all that happened. “ I brought our swords!” August added. Well, maybe, after all...

Regina watched her son run away with August with his wooden sword in the hand. They stopped in the parking and began to pretend to fight. He was pretty skilled, she thought with inevitable pride. Charming taught him well, after all.   
A scream made her jump. Miss Lucas was running towards her. No, fortunately she deviated. A thump evidenced the impact. Rapunzel was laughing in her arms.   
"And then her wolf attacked me"... obviously, there she was. And, obviously, she didn't attacked her at all. Regina was watching the scene with an arched eyebrow as an evidence of her disapproval, and Rapunzel noticed. She smiled with embarrass.   
“ Hey, Regina, you know, that wolf...”  
“ I supposed it.” she coldly interrupted her. Rapunzel's smile disappeared.   
“ Thought you didn't bother anymore 'bout it. “ she murmured. Worrying filled her eyes. And regret. And... pain. As always, Regina realized.   
Silence had fell on the quay. Everyone was waiting. The former Evil Queen looked at Snow White. She was worried too. Very more than the warrior. And Red Riding Hood... she was waiting. As only a wolf can wait, seeming totally calm and ready to eat you at the same time.  
“ I got your reasons.” she said, diplomatically. She was trying, really.  
But Rapunzel blushed. Her cheeks were redder than Ruby's outfit. “ R-really?”   
And that was the confirmation. The absolute panic in her eyes. Regina paled. Crap. Snow was right.  
“ Y-yes. I know you... had good intentions.”   
Pure relief relaxed Rapunzel's face. Another proof: Shaya really didn't want her to know.   
“ I forgave you, really.”  
The smile that the warrior gave her was the most beautiful she'd ever seen on her face. What, wait, did she just thought "beautiful"?  
“ Thank you.” she said. Absurd.  
Regina softly laughed, startling everyone. “ Don't. Thank y o u.” she said, and that left Rapunzel speechless.  
Regina glanced at Snow. She was almost shining with that huge smile on her annoying face. Not even Regina's glare could dampen it.

That was absolutely great! Regina wasn't avoiding Rapunzel. Emma couldn't help but smile like an idiot. She realized it when her cheeks began to ache. Se stopped smiling and massaged them, just in time for Regina's gaze, who looked at her as if she was suspicious. So she knew that she knew. Great.   
“ Sorry, but... who is she?” Archie asked, adjusting the glasses on his nose.   
“ My name is Rapunzel.” the warrior answered, chilling the crowd. Everyone knew that name. Everyone feared her other one.   
“ The Golden Death...” Leroy whispered, stepping back. Actually, everyone did.   
“ Yes but she's good!” Ruby hurried to explain, putting herself between the friend and the people.   
“ A monster defending another monster!” an unknown and untraceable voice in the crowd said. Whale's face reddened with rage.  
“ Hey! How do you dare?”   
Voices filled the air, overlapping one to another in crescent anger. This wasn't good at all.   
“ Hey!” Emma's father cried out, but none listened. “ Hey, Storybrooke!” he tried again, loudening his voice, and this time it worked. “ She's not a monster! She's probably a better person than we all will ever be! This w o m a n saved Henry's life, and I dare to say that she saved all of us, too. She sacrificed for us, she almost died. She gave us her home, her food and water, and she took back the magic beans for us. Do you really think we would ever bring here someone we don't trust? But if you judge her as a monster, then kill me and Snow too. “  
“ And me!” Emma added instinctively. She blushed a little, but forced herself to keep her eyes on the crowd. David put a hand on her shoulder, and she gazed at him. He was proudly smiling to her. Her eyes filled with tears, so she had to look away.  
She saw Regina looking at Gold (who was hugging Belle and crying from the moment they docked) and Killian. They all smiled at each other. Incredible!  
“ I don't think you need me to say it.” Regina smirked. Someone laughed. The tension decreased a little.  
Emma looked at Rapunzel. She was astonished. Paralyzed. Her mother had joined her and now she, Ruby and the blonde were hugging all together. But Rapunzel's eyes were on her father. Emma saw him smile and wink at her. Her eyes were full of gratitude. Then something passed through them, and she glanced down, hiding her face in Ruby's hair. What was that? Emma couldn't help but wonder. It wasn't for Regina, this time. So? Maybe she just moved, the Savior tried to convince herself. But her Sixth Sense said it wasn't so.   
Still thinking about it, but trying not to, Emma turned, and met the Mayor's eyes. There was something in hers, too...  
“ Okay, everyone, go home. Or to work. The show is over!” David said. Emma distracted for a moment. Just for a moment. David went on talking to the crowd while she talked to the brunette.  
“ Regina, what's up?”  
“ What do you mean, Miss Swan?”   
She put her cold mask on, but Emma had never cared about it.   
“ Rapunzel. What's wrong with her? She looked strange when dad finished the speech. “  
The former Evil Queen sighed. She gave again that weird gaze.   
When she spoke, she looked tired. “ She knows that those were lies. She knows who she is. What she is.” Regina looked at the warrior melancholically. “ What we'll always be.”  
She glanced down. Emma put a hand on her shoulder, surprising her.   
“ You changed. She did. You're not monsters. Maybe you were, but...”  
“ We can't change, Emma. Once your heart is dark, it stays...” Her voice lowered while she was talking, as if she was thinking about something else. “ Or so I thought.” she whispered, looking again at the warrior. She was talking with Ruby, so she didn't noticed.  
“ What do you mean?” Emma asked in confusion.   
“ When I took her heart, you know that I ripped her heart out to save her? Anyway, it was bright. And not as any heart does. It was shining as a... little star! And I don't really know why, seen what she did in her life. And even recently, as you well know.” Regina looked in her eyes. “ If I'd rip my heart out right now, I know that it would be almost completely black. Hers should be, too! Maybe yours, or Henry could be that bright. Can you understand?”   
Emma nodded, her mind working hard to find an answer. But she knew nothing about magic and shiny hearts. “ Uh-uh. But don't prove that theory now. “ she tried to smile, but Regina plowed on.  
“ Even your mother's is stained! But hers...”  
“ But... maybe... dunno...” Emma looked at the warrior, as in search of inspiration. “ Maybe you're wrong. Perhaps hearts can get brighter if one makes good things. I mean, she almost died helping us...”  
Regina looked for a long moment in her eyes, but she wasn't really watching her. Emma could almost hear her brain work.   
“ Perhaps.” she finally murmured.   
Her gaze was still far away when she eyed their son. 

Belle was there, in his arms. He couldn't believe it. He thought that they would never meet again. But, obviously, Belle was right. And, from the moment that their bodies touched, he couldn't stop kissing her. And she shared his emotional condition, it seemed.   
“ I love you.” she whispered in a moment of pause.   
Rumplestiltskin felt new tears roll, warm and beautiful, down his cheeks.   
He took her gorgeous face between his palms, and looked in those wonderful blue eyes. “ I love you too.” he said, and she kissed him again. Her scent... he had missed it so much. And her hair, so silky and soft and... hers.   
They stayed hugged, simply enjoying each other presence, for several minutes. Then the crowd began screaming and insulting Rapunzel. And claiming her head. David intervened, calming the folks, as usual. He was good in this, he thought. A good future king.  
Rumple looked at his friend, squeezed between Snow White and Red Riding Hood. His friend, the only one he had ever had.   
He looked at Regina, wondering if she knew now what Rapunzel felt for her. What was the real cause of Snow White's survival. Why did he send her to her. Maybe she did, but, for now, she was calming the people down. He supported her with a smirk. A smirk that faded away as he followed Regina's gaze to Hook. The pirate too stopped smiling as the brunette turned. The two men looked with hate at each other for a while, then Rumplestilskin grinned at him, deciding that there were more pleasant and important things to do in that moment.   
He smiled at Belle, and she smiled back at him, making his heart skip a couple of beats.   
“ Come with me, dearie. “   
They joined the trio. Rapunzel's smile didn't reach her eyes. Something was wrong.   
“ Belle, let me introduce you to my dear friend Rapunzel. Rapunzel, she is...”  
“ The famous young lady who conquered your heart, I suppose.” she interrupted him, widely smiling at Belle.   
Rumple laughed briefly. “ Yes, exactly.”  
Rapunzel curtseyed to Belle, making her laugh with the other two women.   
“ Very pleased to meet you, Lady Belle.”   
His Love bowed in turn. “ The pleasure is mine.”   
“ Although I don't know how you can stand him.” Rapunzel added, and, after that he did, everyone laughed.   
“ It's been a century and a half, dearie, I think you know well how.” he smirked, but she arched her eyebrows.  
“ True, but we met maybe five times in all of these years! She wakes up with you at her side! She's a heroine!”   
Again, everyone laughed. Belle was doubling up with laughter. Rumplestiltskin faked a glare at her, with the the only result to make her laugh harder, if possible.  
“ How very funny, Rapunzel, really.” he said, stifling a laughter.   
“ I know.” she sneered.   
Snow leaned on her, hiding her face behind her shoulder while laughing.   
“ I should have let you in that tower.”   
“ Aye, perhaps it would have been wise, but I wouldn't have saved your ass in Neverland, Dark One.” That devilish smile of hers, that'll be damned, made him almost laugh.  
“ I would have handled the situation even without you, dearie, trust me.”   
He held Belle closer, and she gave him a slight squeeze with her arm around his waist.   
Rapunzel grimaced at him as a child, making everyone burst into laughter again.  
“ I've read a lot about you, but they never wrote that you were this funny, Rapunzel!” Belle exclaimed, smiling. Her cheeks were still reddened for the recent laughter. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Her sight was the only thing that could make him forget Bae's death, even if just for a moment. It was like if she had the magical capability to make the pain disappear. She made disappear even the revenge's will. But, as he said, just for a moment. Tamara was still alive, somewhere in Neverland. He had never forgot it. He was still burning with rage for what she did. But, for the moment, he had to wait.   
He blinked and met Rapunzel's eyes. She looked at him as if she could read his thoughts. She narrowed her eyes, then her expression completely changed, mutating in a kind, calm, smiling face. “ Read, right! Belle, Rumple said you love to read...”  
She glanced at him before looking at Belle again. He understood now: she was diverting the attention from him. He thanked her mentally.   
“ Yes, it's my passion! I work at the library here. There, under the clock tower.” she pointed at the place. Rapunzel nodded.   
“ I can't wait to visit your library. I love books, too. “   
Rumplestiltskin stopped listening to them. He could only look at Belle, at every, single inch of her. He couldn't wait anymore.   
“ Belle.” he murmured. She gazed at him.  
“ Mh?”   
“ Let's go home.”   
At first she was a little surprised by the question, but then she smiled and nodded. “ I'm sorry ladies, but I'm really tired. “ he justified himself, even though he knew that none of them would have believed him.   
They all smiled.   
“ Sure. See you tomorrow.” Snow said, mostly to Belle, but Ruby hurried to say: “ Tonight! We organized... Well, we're still organizing, but everything will be ready, a Welcome Back Party. At Granny's, obviously. Everyone's invited.” She smiled at both Rapunzel and Rumple.   
“ Thank you very much.” Rapunzel smiled. “ Even though for me it's just a "welcome".”   
“ We'll be pleased to join the party.” Rumple grinned, then nodded to Belle, and they finally walked away. He felt the urge to be just with her. Forever.

Rapunzel watched the couple walk away. She could still barely believe that the Dark One had found his True Love. It was almost an oxymoron. However, she was happy for him. The girl seemed a nice person, and her gaze was so intelligent that she felt almost in awe when she directly looked at her.  
A movement caught her attention. Regina, Emma and David joined them, and Emma was immediately buried under Red's hug. She saw her smile, finally. A true, relaxed smile. Rapunzel glanced at Regina, but the woman was looking at Snow so intensely that she thought that the younger woman would have caught fire in a moment.   
“ Rapunzel?”  
“ Uh? “ Red had called her. “ Tell me.”  
“ I was thinking... you don't have a house here, so you can stay at Granny's bed and breakfast. “  
“ Bed and... is it like... a rest house?”  
“ Oh, yeah, right. Sorry.”   
Rapunzel gave a smirk. “ Don't worry, my fault. Aye, however, thank you, it would be great, but I can't pay you by now. “   
Red smiled. “ Ah, on the house! You're the only client, by the way. The whole b&b is yours.”  
“ Why don't you...” Regina hesitantly began, but she then stopped and glanced down. It was like if the whole harbor was holding breath. The former Queen took a deep breath and gazed at Rapunzel. “ My manor is big. Why discommode widow Lucas when I have a spare room. “ She tried to smile. She looked afraid, somehow. On the other hand, Rapunzel was trying to not explode for the joy.   
“ W-well... I'd never... I mean, if it's not too much trouble...”  
“ It isn't.” Regina quickly said.  
Rapunzel couldn't help but smile as if she had just said the most beautiful thing in the world.   
“ Thank you!”   
They didn't notice, but everyone was smiling at each other around them.


	14. 108 Mifflin Street

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys, I wasn't home these days. Happy New Year! :D Hope you like the new chapter! ;*

Her beloved, reassuring house was right in front of them. Henry and Rapunzel were following her steps, and she'd probably never felt this tensed before. She didn't know why she had said it. It had been stupid, but she had felt compelled to do it. She owed something to Rapunzel, after everything she did for her. A bed was the least.   
She took the key she'd hidden under the doormat and opened the door. She turned to let pass Henry and the warrior. Henry ran inside, but Rapunzel stayed still out of the porch, a hand laid on the hilt of her sword and her eyes critically set on the house. She glanced at her, then back at the building. She was slightly smiling. “ It's so... white.” she said.  
Regina's eyebrows twitched up a second before she understood. She hid a smile.   
“ Yes. You should like it.” she said with fake resentment. Rapunzel laughed hard, and she had to force herself not to do it in turn.   
The warrior entered the house, and Regina followed her, shutting the door behind her. She looked at the warrior, who was obviously taking a look around. Regina patiently waited for her questions. She knew she had many.  
“ Weird furniture.”   
Regina innerly smiled. “ Do you like it?”  
Rapunzel thought about it. “ Uhm, I guess... I don't know. I mean, perhaps I have to get used to this... style. I mean, the one of this world. Everything is so different.” she walked towards the right wall, and stopped in front of the reflecting surface. “ But mirrors. They're always the same. “   
Regina smiled this time. “ I agree.”   
“ I liked your castle more.” the blonde added, turning to look at her. Regina took off her jacket, looked at it ( it was... it wasn't a jacket anymore) and let it fall on the floor.   
“ It was so dark...” she murmured absentmindedly.  
“ Aye! I liked it.”   
Regina gazed at her with an arched eyebrow. The more she knew her, the less she understood her. And the less she understood why her heart was shining so bright.   
“ You like creepy places?”   
Rapunzel sneered. “ So you still can't see who I am, don't you?”   
Regina gave a start. How did she know...? “ Or your lying skills have abandoned you, or you're not putting a great effort in hiding what's in your mind, my Queen, because it is written all over your face. So don't be surprised, I'm not using magic. Just my eyes. “ She winked at her, smiling. Regina was still impressed, but something moved inside her at that wink. And at that smile. She felt really confused.   
“ I'm... Maybe I'm just tired.” she said, more answering to her own wondering than to Rapunzel's words. “ I'm having a shower, it won't take long. Then you can have one, if you like. About your clothes...” She looked at her bloody leather armor. “ I don't think mine can fit you. But I can ask... Dr. Hopper if he can lend you a shirt.”   
She began climbing the stairs, but she stopped half way, as she heard Rapunzel wasn't moving a step. She turned, and so she saw that the woman was standing still in front of the staircase, blushed. She wondered why, without finding an answer.   
“ Follow me. I'll show you your room.”   
“ A-aye.” Rapunzel muttered, glancing down but obeying.   
They passed her room, Henry's and the bathroom, where the rumor of water falling witnessed the kid's presence. Regina opened the guest room door, beckoning to Rapunzel to enter. Rapunzel did, then turned. She had a serious face.   
“ Thank you. No, really. You weren't obliged to host me.”  
“ I was. You saved Henry. This is the least I can do for you.”  
Rapunzel's expression darkened a little. “ Don't... you owe me nothing. I did everything because I wanted to do it.”  
Exactly. “ However, I want to repay you. Let me do it.”   
Rapunzel sighed and glanced down. She weakly nodded, then looked back at her and smiled with the same weakness. Regina felt a painful sensation push inside her chest. What the hell...?  
The bathroom's door opened, and Henry appeared in the hallway with his Spiderman bathrobe. He waved to them, then walked into his room. He left a big puddle of water where he stayed still, and several tracks. Regina sighed loudly: she would have to wipe it.   
“ My turn.” she tiredly said, running a hand through her hair.   
“ Regina...”  
She turned: Rapunzel seemed embarrassed.” Sorry, but... what is a shower?” the warrior awkwardly asked.   
Regina realized that she effectively couldn't know it, then laughed for not having thought about it. “ It's a... Better if I show you.”  
Rapunzel followed her in the hot-moist bathroom. Regina pointed out the shower. “ Here it is. It's like a bath, but from above.” Rapunzel was confused. Obviously. Regina cleared everything opening the shower. The warrior jumped aside as if she saw a snake, even though she probably wouldn't jump aside in front of a snake.  
“ Is it... magic?”   
Regina smiled. “ No. It's technology. “   
Rapunzel put a hand under the falling water. Falling hot water. She immediately withdrew it. “ But it's warm!”  
“ Technology again.”   
“ But, Regina, this is like the Rain Spell and the Warming Spell together!”  
Regina laughed, and she saw Rapunzel slightly shiver.  
“ True. I've never thought about it. “ she said, watching closely the warrior in amused surprise. “ You know magic very well. Even more than me, probably. “ she said while shutting off the water.   
“ I studied. I had time to.” Shaya smiled. There was no trace of resentment in her eyes.   
“ How did you get the books in Neverland? “   
Rapunzel smirked. “ I stole them. Neverland has its towns, you know. It's a huge island. “  
“ Then why didn't you live there? Why the jungle?”  
Rapunzel's face radically changed. Regina saw sadness in it, and... resignation. Shit. “ Uh, I don't really like people. “ She was lying, again. “ I'm not used to deal with them.” That was a half lie. “ I preferred to stay alone. It's safer.” Another half lie. Regina sighed, but didn't insist. She wasn't ready for that conversation yet. She probably would never be.  
“ Oh, right. Well, now I...” she nodded towards the shower. Rapunzel blushed.   
“ Oh, aye, sorry.”   
“ Oh, no problem. “ Regina blushed a little, too, she felt it. She hoped that her darker skin would hide it. “ It will take just five minutes. Which is short time.” she added, remembering that she didn't knew that time measure.   
Rapunzel nodded, mumbled something and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Regina locked it from the inside, with no actual reason. She knew that the warrior would have never opened that door without her permission, but she had felt the need to lock it the same. She felt stupid, though something impeded her to unlock it. She sighed, shook her head and quickly undressed. 

Rapunzel went in her chamber, closed the door and heavily sat on the bed. The sword jingled hitting the floor. She unbuckled the belt and set the sword against the wall. Her eyes fixed on the weapon, but her mind flew away, thing that she absolutely didn't want to happen. She shook her head, blushing. “ Hell, stop it, stupid...” she whispered to herself. But she couldn't help but think about it, for how vulgar and inappropriate it could be. But when she was climbing that staircase... she had never seen her wearing trousers. Especially so tight ones. So she couldn't help but watch. And, oh, what a sight! She was disgusted by herself for thinking it but... It was just too physical. She hated it. She wanted her, obviously she did, but she rarely thought only about that. But, under those stairs, she did. And even in that weird bathroom, with that voice of hers, when she actioned that strange mechanism that made rain fall in that fogged glass-walled little room... Damn! She had tried, she had really tried to stop the sequence of images running through her head, but with her so close... And now she had that problem again. Because, damn, Regina was there, a few steps away from her, under the spray of water... No! She had to stop thinking! She grabbed the sword, unsheathed it and began cleaning it with her shirt, though it was already clean. After a few minutes it was so shiny that she could mirror on the blade, even though all of its scratches. She watched herself for the time of a breath before suddenly sheathing the sword and beginning to unleash her complex tress, unable to stay still. Someone knocked at her door while she was about to finish.   
“ It's open.” she said, unraveling the last knot. She stood up when she saw Regina on the door. Habit.   
Regina stayed silent for a few moments, then swallowed and said: “ Your turn. Enjoy it, it's very better then our world's baths. Trust me.” she smiled, then turned and walked away. Not even a second had passed when she came back. “ Oh, I put some clean towels in the bathroom. Use them, they're the white ones.” She disappeared again.   
Fuck. She had a strange towel around her, like the one Henry had, but hers was all of a deep, intense red. And her hair... it was still wet and pulled back, and its weird but cute haircut let it touch lightly her neck and her shoulders. And she, damn, she saw her legs... shit! Stop thinking. Stop thinking, she repeated to herself while walking towards the bathroom. Stop. Thinking.

She'd never really seen her hair before. It was gorgeous! It shined like the sun itself, as if it was magic, and fell down in slight waves, caused by the tresses probably, to her ankles. It was absurdly long and silky. She had never seen hair like hers. It was like a river of light gold running through all of her figure. She had stopped breathing at that sight. She had never really thought about Rapunzel as a woman. She was a warrior to her. But, lately... with her hair unraveled, she showed herself for what she really was, although the clothes: a Queen. More than she'd ever been. 

“ You're not so bad with that on.” Henry said looking Rapunzel up and down. She wore Archie's grey shirt, long to mid-thigh and really too large on her waist. Only thanks to her shoulders and breasts it fitted. She also wore her boots. Henry really thought she was cute, but she wasn't convinced.  
“ Henry, I don't wear any trousers...”   
“ Yes! Like the girls in the movies! They all dress that way when they go to a party.”  
“ I think they wear dresses, not shirts.”   
“ They do.” Regina intervened, walking in the guest room where Rapunzel was trying to get dressed. The former Queen looked at her. “ And, even if you look good this way, I think these will fit better.” She threw some clothes on the bed.  
Rapunzel took them, and a sigh of relief flew from her mouth. “ Aye, thank you! Whose are these? “ she asked. She looked like a puppy, Henry thought.   
“ August. From when he was an adult. Geppetto has just kindly brought them to us. “ his mom answered with a smile. Rapunzel cocked an eyebrow, making her laugh. “ I know, weird thing, he was a man before being a kid. Neither I had never seen something like that before.”   
She nodded at the woman, who, meanwhile, had turned, took off Archie's skirt and worn August's old clothes. They fitted.” Perfect. Let's go now, or we'll be late.” she added, addressing a last gaze to the blonde. She hesitated, picked up her hair and began to braid it.   
“ Gimme a second.” she mumbled. Regina turned to watch her.  
“ No!” she exclaimed, a little too loud, surprising them both. Henry saw her blush a little. “ Don't plait it.”   
“ Plait?” Henry asked. He had never heard that term before.  
“ Braid. It's a synonym.” his mother explained to him.  
“ Oh.” he just said.  
He eyed Rapunzel. She had stayed still, her hand behind her nape, holding her hair.   
“ Why?” she asked to Regina. The blonde was creepy motionless.   
“ Well, because it's a pity to not show such beautiful hair, Rapunzel! I didn't even noticed it before! Why do you hide it?”  
Rapunzel dropped her hair and seemed to relax. “ I don't. It's just uncomfortable for fighting to let it loose.”   
Regina smiled. “ We're going to a party, not a battle.”   
Rapunzel smirked. “ As long as I remember, it's almost the same thing. “   
That made Regina laugh. Henry had no idea of the reason. “ Those were our world's parties. Here it's better, trust me. Unless you're the Evil Queen.” Her smile faded away, and she glanced down. Henry jumped standing from the bed and hugged her.  
“ But you're not evil anymore. You're a hero! Everybody knows.” he said, and he could feel her smile, even if he wasn't looking at her face. One warm hand caressed his head, the other hugged him.   
“ The only one that I care whether he knows it it's you, sweetheart.”   
He looked at her now. Her eyes were wet. She surely wasn't evil anymore. “ I know, mom. But it doesn't matter, because they all know. “   
They smiled at each other.   
“ Let's go.” she said after a while. He was reluctant to break the hug. He wanted to see Emma, but he wanted to stay with her too. He had loved that moment. He hadn't had many like it except for the ones in the last weeks. Not so sincere ones, at least.  
They left the room and he turned to check that Rapunzel was following them. She was, but she was also drying her eyes. She smiled at him, and put her index on her lips. He nodded and turned, her secret safe, although he was confused. Why was she crying?

“ Welcome back, Henry!” was what they all screamed when the kid entered Granny's. An enthusiastic applause followed. Emma, after the longest shower she had ever had, had helped Ruby, Granny, the Mother Superior and Archie to arrange the party. She just put festoons, ornaments and balloons around the dining because "she was a guest of honor, too, so she actually didn't even had to be there". The truth was that she had to do something. She could just sit on the bed and began thinking while waiting, and it would destroy her, so she had to do something, and, as Henry was with Regina, the preparation of the party was the only thing she could do.  
Immediately after the first chorus there was a lower “ Welcome back, Regina!” and an even lower “ Welcome, Rapunzel!”.  
The two woman however smiled widely, and Emma could swear that she saw the brunette's eyes get a little wet.   
Henry almost crashed against her trying to hug her. “ Hey, kid! All right?”   
He had become a hug-dispenser boy lately. She was a little worried for him. Because of Neal, obviously.   
“ Yup!” he exclaimed, and she knew it was true. She ruffled his hair.  
“ Good! So kid, there are sandwiches, pizza, chips, coke... whatever you may need! Help yourself! “   
He smiled, ran to the counter, full of food and drinks, and climbed a stool to take some chips. A second later August joined him. They were good friend, she thought. Yet she still couldn't believe that that little kid was the same August she knew. It totally blew her mind.  
“ See? Thing are not so bad...” her mother's voice startled her. She pointed at Regina with a nod. She was staring at Rapunzel, who was standing with her back towards her, talking with Belle. Regina was looking at the warrior as if she had something very weird and very important hidden under the fall of golden hair. God, that hair... Emma took a strand of hers, looking critically at it. Snow laughed beside her.   
“ None can compete with her when it's about swords and hair.”  
Emma had to agree. “ Yeah, I noticed.” Regina was still staring at her. It seemed that the Mayor's mind was elsewhere. “ Do you think she's...?”  
Snow gazed at her.” What?” She really didn't understand.   
“ I mean... you know her since like... forever. Regina, I mean.”  
The other shrugged. “ I know some sides of her, yes.”  
“ Aaand...” Emma glanced at the woman in question, then at Rapunzel.  
Mary Margaret seemed confused. “ Emma, speak! I can't read your mind!”  
“ I know. “ she replied in a sigh. “ Do you think Regina's bi?” she asked in a whisper, pressing the words together.   
“ Oh!” Her mother stifled a giggle. “ This you meant!” she tried again not to laugh. “ Well, Emma, I don't know. I never saw her with a woman but... who knows? She was pretty concerned in revenge, you know, I don't think she... but maybe, while I was in the forest...” Snow shrugged again.   
“ I hope she does.” Emma commented, looking back at Regina, then again at Rapunzel. The blonde looked back at her, and smiled slightly. Belle too turned to watch her, then said something to Rapunzel. She nodded once before that they both joined them.  
“ Hey, hero! How are you?” Emma heard her mother ask. She felt her smile in her voice. The Savior looked in Rapunzel's eyes while she was answering and saw her lie. Shit.  
“ You are, stop saying you're not!” Mary Margaret exclaimed at her objection. “ And, Rapunzel, you hair is...”  
“ Fucking gorgeous.” Emma finished for her, making them laugh.  
“ You're not the first ones to say it.” she said smiling. A sincere smile, this time. So... Regina told her she had beautiful hair? Emma innerly exulted.   
“ Because it's true! Everyone envies you for it! It's written in every book!” Belle said just a second before that Marco stepped in.  
“ Rapunzel! Glad to see that August's clothes well fit you!”  
“ Oh, aye, thank you very much, Geppetto! You saved me!” she replied, slightly bowing then. August's clothes! How didn't she notice?  
“ Why? Which was the alternative?” Emma asked, immediately curious.   
“ Jiminy's skirt, and my boots. And nothing else. “ the warrior answered frowning.   
“ You'd be cute!” Ruby cried from almost the opposite side of the diner. Emma swallowed. Sometimes she forgot that she was a werewolf.   
Rapunzel skeptically watched her. Ruby wore her usual kind of clothes: they covered the least they could. “ Thought wolves liked the warmth of their furs...” she murmured, but Ruby grimaced at her, making her laugh.   
“ Miss Lucas is an evident exception.” Regina's deep voice commented. Emma turned to see her, behind Rapunzel. The warrior moved to make her enter the little circle they had involuntarily created.   
“ I can tell... “ Rapunzel said, smiling at her.   
“ I guess Henry likes her outfits. He wanted you to dress like her...”  
Rapunzel shrugged. “ He's a male. It's normal.”  
“ I heard that!” Killian exclaimed resentfully. He was leaning on the counter just a few steps away from them. The women laughed at him, so he raised the four pints of beer he was holding with his hand and hook. How could he hold the two mugs with the hook without dropping the beer was a complete mystery to Emma. “ Oh, you're laughing at me, uh? Therefore I'll drink your beers too!”  
“ No!” Emma screamed, and then laughed with the others.   
Hook handed the pints to the women. Regina hesitated a little, but in the end she took it. Hook grabbed two other pints, for him and Rapunzel who, chivalrously, had left hers to Mary Margaret.   
David joined them, hugging her mother from behind. Emma looked at them, and she couldn't help but smile. They were happy, she was sure about it.   
They felt her gaze, smiled at her and invited her to join the hug. She did enthusiastically. She had been waiting for that moment for so many years... Something hit her mind. Emma gazed at Regina. She was actually watching them, but there wasn't hate in her eyes. A hint of irritation maybe, but no hate. She met her eyes. The "Evil Queen" and the Savior looked at each other for an infinite moment. Then the "Evil Queen" smiled slightly, and the Savior smiled back at her. The war had ended.

Killian couldn't stop staring at her. She was simply beautiful in that red dress, more than Milah had ever been. Emma Swan. Her name danced in his mind since the day they first met. Swan. He liked that sound. It was perfect with her figure. He sipped from the pint. Beer, ah, he missed it! Blonde beer. Blonde. Swan, get out of my silly head!, he innerly cried out.

“ So you're the Blue Fairy.” Rapunzel said, half drunk, skeptically looking at the woman in front of her.  
“ Yes. And the Mother Superior.”  
“ Which means...”  
“ I'm a nun. “  
“ Which means...”  
“ I'm...” Blue took another sip of beer, then snorted. “ ... I'm a fucking fairy. Content yourself.” she barked.  
Rapunzel laughed in the ninth pint, risking to spit the beer. “ This isn't fair, fairy!”  
“ It's fairer than your hair!” she growled back. Rapunzel laughed again.  
“ Impossible!”   
“ I'm by her side. She's fair!” Grumpy smiled. Sort of. “ The fairest of them all!”   
A chorus of "Oooooooh" raised from the table. Victor exploded in a laugh and fell down on the linoleum surface. Red laughed at him, softly patting on his shoulder.   
“ That's not fair, Dr. Whale!” Blue cried out, causing an overwhelming laughter attack in the group.   
He suddenly raised his head up and, with his most serious face, said: “ I do apologize, Blue Nooot-So-Fair-Fairy-GoodMooother Shuperiorr...” before beginning to laugh again.   
Blue narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms and pouted.   
“ This is not funny.”   
A general laughter made her eyes open wide.   
“ If you say so! “ Grumpy said, but he immediately stopped laughing at her burning glare. “ Sorry.” he whispered, smiling.  
“ Rapunzel...” Regina was calling her. The Golden Death, squeezed between Victor and Grumpy, narrowed her eyes to focus on her figure. She was standing beside the table, the hint of a smile around her lips.   
“ Tell me, my Queen...”   
Some of them laughed at her words. Regina swallowed.   
“ I'm not a queen anymore, stop calling me that way!” she angrily exclaimed. Rapunzel gave a start. A wave of regret immediately invaded her face.  
“ Sorry.” she murmured. Now Regina's face was full of regret, too. Se passed a hand over it.  
“ No, I apologize to you. Guess I'm just tired.”  
“ Or maybe just an ass.” Red growled. Her eyes were dangerously shining.   
Regina opened her mouth to reply, but Rapunzel was faster.   
“ Red! What the hell...?” she said standing up.   
“ Face it, Rapunzel. She treats you like a pet. You're still her slave to her.”   
Rapunzel faltered. Those words had simply, unexpectedly broke her. It was like if her chest had suddenly become empty.  
“ This is absolutely false, Miss Lucas. Beware of what you say.”   
Regina was beautiful when she was angry, she couldn't help but think it. Her voice lowered, her eyes darkened, and she always became cornered by an aura of danger and power that made her become... it made her heart stop! She couldn't describe it in another way. But now... Red's words had stabbed her. She knew that she was nothing more than a servant to her. Maybe Regina felt like she owed her something, but, as she said, only because she saved her son. She could stand it. It was enough, for her, to have the possibility to protect her. She knew it. But hearing it, said loud... that hurt.  
“ Ain't it? So show us! Show...”  
“ Ruby!” Emma ran to the table. She was outside, chatting with Killian, when she probably heard the screams. “ Stop it with this shit!”  
The girl stood up. “ No, Emma! It's the truth!”  
“ You're drunk, Rubes...”   
Rapunzel wasn't really listening. The even surface of the table had caught her gaze. She couldn't move her eyes from it. She felt the tears on the corner of her eyes, but she would never let them fall. She slowly put a hand on the table, and leaned on her fingers. She wasn't sure she could still trust her legs. Grumpy, beside her, stood up to let her pass, but she didn't make a move. She could still hear Emma and Red's voices on the background. Grumpy was looking at her, she knew. He put a hand on her shoulder.   
“ Hey, sister...”  
She shrugged, making him falter. “ I'm none's sister.” she snarled.   
Everyone silenced.   
She harshly moved him to pass. She left the table, but Regina's hand grabbed her arm before she could run away.   
“ Rapunzel, look at me.”   
It was an order, she recognized it. She eyed her.   
Regina swallowed hard, but her gaze stayed firm. “ I don't consider you my slave. Can you see it?”   
Rapunzel looked deep inside her eyes, digging through her words. There was something else she wasn't saying. Apart from this...   
“ Yes.” she had to admit. Regina nodded, but didn't left her arm.  
“ Good.” she said and then paused, as to highlight the concept. “ Now, I'm going home. I was trying to tell you this, before Miss Lucas' untrue statements. You can either come home with me, or I can give you the spare keys. The choice is yours.” She was serious, but her tone was soft. She let go her arm. Rapunzel stayed silent for a while, staring at her.   
“ I'm coming with you.” she finally said, and everybody knew that it wasn't simply an answer to a question.

"Come home". Those two words were digging inside her brain. Two words she had never heard together before. Let alone said by her.   
She was now walking behind the brunette towards the car, that weird machinery Hook had told her about, and she noticed just in time that Regina had stopped walking and had turned to watch her.   
Rapunzel blinked and tried to focus.  
“ Rapunzel, did you hear me?”  
“ Ehm, no. Sorry.” she smiled. Regina froze for a second, making her eyebrows almost collide.  
“ Are you okay?” the former Queen asked. Rapunzel smiled again, and, again, Regina had the same reaction.  
“ Aye. Why? I was just distracted, thinking 'bout... stuff.”  
Regina kept staring at her. Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. “ Are you okay?”  
The brunette slightly smiled. “ Yes, just... a little tired.”   
Rapunzel nodded and glanced down. “ Aye, me too.”   
None of them moved. After a while Rapunzel eyed the other woman. Regina was still watching her, and seemed to be about to say something. But then the former Queen slightly shook her head and swallowed.   
“ Better if we go, then.” she said before almost running to the other side of the car. Rapunzel's eyebrows lifted in confusion. Then she opened the door and sighed: “ As my Queen orders.”


	15. First day

She woke up at sunrise, as always, but she didn't move from the bed. She just listened to the house for a while and, as she suspected, heard no rumors. She was still sleeping. Rapunzel tried to fall asleep again for a while, but eventually she realized that she just couldn't do it. And that she couldn't just stay there waiting for Regina to wake up, because it hurt too much: as she tried to close her eyes, the fantasy of herself going to Regina's chamber to wake her up in the proper way immediately hit her brain. And, as she managed not to think about it, another flash of herself hugging the brunette and kissing her forehead killed her. So she just couldn't stay there. She had to move.   
Silent as a cat she stood up and put a nightgown on. There was Regina's scent on it, but she tried not to think about it. She focused on the fact that it was really short and tight on the shoulders for her. She walked out of the room in the most silent way possible, cursing herself for her incapability to just stay on the bed. 

Regina woke up at the annoying sound of her alarm clock. She shut it with a moan and a wave of her hand, that made the clock crush on the wall. “ Ooops...” she murmured with one eye open. She had to remind herself that in Storybrooke magic was different than in Neverland. Neverland. She buried her face in the pillow, hiding it from the blinding morning light, and began to think about that place. The Lost Boys.... They attacked them just once. Yes, they defeated them, but it was still weird that, after that they had sent Greg and Tamara to Storybrooke, they didn't even try to take back Henry. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Maybe they followed them. Perhaps they didn't want Henry, but just a way out of Neverland! Regina suddenly stood up and put on her nightgown. She warily opened the door, looking outside to see if anyone else was awake. Rapunzel's door was opened. Henry's was still closed. She exited her room and silently closed the door, in order to keep dark the hallway. She silently went downstairs and reached the kitchen, finding there a cascade of golden hair intent on preparing an excessive breakfast. The table was full of food, including bread, honey, marmalade, bacon, cheese and a dozen apples. Two cups were on it, one already filled with milk. The warrior was cooking something else, something Regina had no idea from where could come. She left poor food in the house when they sailed to Neverland.   
“ Good morning!”   
Rapunzel's sudden voice startled her. She gazed at her. The warrior gave her a bright smile, then went back cooking.   
“ Sit down, Regina, it's almost ready.”   
Regina, speechless, simply obeyed. She looked at the blonde woman, but all she could see were her unleashed hair.   
“ Rapunzel what...?”  
“ Breakfast!” she smiled, pulling the pan and putting something on the plate she left next to the burner. She then put the plate on the table, showing the mysterious food: an omelet. “ It's called breakfast.” she repeated with a smirk.  
Regina was still speechless, and a little embarrassed, too. “ You shouldn't have...”   
Rapunzel shrugged. “ Why? I was awake and with nothing else to do. “   
“ Sit down and eat at least!”  
“ That's for Henry. And I've already eaten.”   
“ But all this food could be enough for an entire army!”   
Rapunzel rose her eyebrows. “ As long as I remember, that's the tiniest breakfast that has ever been served to a Queen...”  
Regina's face darkened. “ I'm no longer the Queen. Stop...”  
“ I was just kidding, Regina.”Rapunzel softly interrupted her. She had the kindest eyes she had ever seen. None had ever looked at her that way. “ I'm sorry if it hur...”  
“ No, no. I am sorry. I was rough.” she swallowed, and took some bread. “ I appreciate this, really. And I guess you know. My story, I mean, that I never wanted that title, or you'd just see me as anyone else does. “  
Rapunzel sighed. “ I'd see you exactly as I see you now, but, aye, I know indeed.”   
Regina looked at her with a challenging smirk while eating. “ You wish you didn't, isn't it?”  
But Rapunzel didn't smile. She just looked sad. “ No. Wish it didn't happen. I want to know. Someone has to.”  
Regina almost choked on the bread. She filled her cup with the milk, even if was coffee what she needed. Not that Rapunzel could know what coffee was. She gazed at the warrior. She still had that look. That one that had always made something crunch inside her chest.   
“ Snow knows.” she replied, almost voiceless. She drank another sip of milk.   
Rapunzel put on a tiny smile. “ Snow knows nothing, and even if she knew, she couldn't understand. She's too ingenuous. It's her nature, it's not her fault.”   
Regina stayed silent for a while, taking her time to think. She wanted to ask her how the hell she came to know about her, and how much she actually knew, and a thousand of other questions. Yet she had just woken up, and she really wasn't in the mood for that conversation. Another time, she promised to herself.   
“ You seem to know her well.” Regina finally murmured, watching Rapunzel above the cup. The warrior's eyes never changed their expression.   
“ I don't, but I have this... capability to understand people at first sight.”  
A moment of silence filled the air while a sort of anxiety started to fill Regina's heart. “ As you did with me?” she hesitantly asked. She wasn't sure that that was true, but she didn't have another explanation for everything that had happened. She didn't know when exactly the warrior had first seen her, but she was sure that it hadn't been in her throne room the day that she had killed the Bogeyman, and she was also sure that she had never met the blonde before that day. And Regina never went out of her castle when Leopold was alive, but one time in the earlier period of that cursed marriage, when they went outside to visit the people... And when he died, she exited the castle only with her guards (and she knew each one of them, she couldn't have hidden between them), and only to find new ways to kill Snow White. So, either the woman had secretly spied her, or she had seen her during that only visit to the people.   
She looked at the warrior and she saw her swallow and blush lightly. The answer came before the words. “ Aye.” she whispered. Then she cleared her voice and glanced down. “ And many other people. It's probably what kept me alive through all this time.” She pretended to smile.   
Regina's heartbeat was absurdly fast, and she didn't even understand why.   
“ Yes, probably. “ she smirked distractedly, pointing her eyes on the apples. Those were her apples, she thought. She stretched on the table and took one, looking at it as if it was her worst enemy. There was just one word in her mind: shit!

His mom was weird that morning. She was so silent! Rapunzel, on the other side, talked enough for both of them. She was that kind of person that made him smile as he saw her, he thought. She was funny.   
“ So, little Prince, what are you going to do today?” she just asked. Little Prince. He loved it! Everytime that he heard it he imagined himself on a horse, sword in hand and a red coat on his shoulders.   
“ I have to go back to school, I guess.” he answered while eating the breakfast. It was good, even if it was weird to have all that food on the table. Better than cereals, though. He looked at his mother, hoping that she would deny. But she nodded.   
“ Correct.” she said, but then smiled. “ But, you know, I still am the Mayor here. And today it's Henry's Day. Town festival. We have to celebrate!”  
Henry was so surprised that he gasped. “ But... I thought that we celebrated yesterday...”  
Regina jokingly arched an eyebrow. “ One day isn't enough to celebrate my son's coming back home.” She suddenly looked at Rapunzel, the same joking expression on her face. “ I was a Queen, after all. “   
He saw Rapunzel smile before his mom's look caught back his attention. “ And you're a Prince.”  
He was still too surprised to speak, but not for standing up and hug his mother.  
“ Thank you, mom!” he managed to exclaim after a while.  
She folded him in her arms, caressing his hair and his back.   
“ But tomorrow, back to school!” she said with a fake-threatening look. He smiled at her.   
“ Sure!”   
Her smile had never been so wide. “ Good boy. Now go and get ready. You'll have to wake Emma up, and I suspect it won't be so easy...”  
Henry's eyebrows jumped up, but he smirked. “ True! “  
Regina stifled a laugh. “ Go!” she said, delicately pushing him towards the staircase. He hugged her once again, then run upstairs. She absolutely wasn't the Evil Queen anymore. He began to doubt that she had ever been.

Henry's thin voice woke her up. He was almost screaming her name. Repeatedly. She slightly opened her eyes and groaned, pulling the blankets over her head. “ One minute!” she pleaded in a mutter.  
“ You should have been ready to go out five minutes ago, Miss Swan.”  
Emma almost had an heart attack. She didn't expect Regina's presence in her bed chamber. She pushed away the sheets.   
“ Hi, Regina.” she murmured rubbing her hands against her face. Only after a few moments she was able to totally open her eyes.   
The former Evil Queen was standing by the door, arms crossed, left eyebrow arched. She had perfect hair, perfect dress, and perfect make up. Emma felt messy.   
“ I can see that your mother has failed waking you up this morning. What did I expect?” she asked rhetorically, dramatically rolling her eyes. Emma did too, but not that dramatically.   
“ Gimme a minute. “   
Regina gave a look at the clock on the wall. “ You've already taken seven.”  
“ Why, you're in a hurry?” she almost shouted hiding herself in the bathroom. She could handle Regina's sass, but not when she was half-asleep, not after all that alcohol. She needed coffee. A barrel full of it, possibly.  
“ I have a job, I remind you.”   
Emma sticked her head out of the bathroom, eyebrows lifted. “ Do you?”   
Regina faltered. “ Of course. I am the Mayor...”  
Emma tightened her lips in a skeptic expression and locked herself in the bathroom. “ Dunno.”  
While washing she heard Regina's steps on the floor. She was behind the door. “ What do you mean?”  
“ I mean... Can we talk about this later?”   
“ No.”  
Emma sighed. “ Right. I mean... Haven't you heard?”  
“ What?”  
“ Yesterday. “  
“ Miss Swan, I asked what, not when...”  
Emma stifled a laughter. If she couldn't even pee in peace, at least she could enjoy her irritation.   
She waited to exit the bathroom before continuing. Regina was curiosity and impatience in human shape. Emma smiled at her. “ 'bout Belle.”  
Regina sighed heavily. “ Miss Swan, why don't you simply...”  
“ Belle substituted you as Mayor while we were in Neverland.”  
“ What???” Regina was evidently astonished. And, perhaps, a little bit angry.   
“ Yep. Her and Archie were the favorites, but Archie retired and so...” she explained shrugging.   
“ Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't anyone tell me?”  
Emma looked at Henry, then shrugged.  
“ Maybe they're still afraid of you.” Henry suggested. That wasn't totally absurd. Smart kid.  
Emma put her jeans on, then her white tank top and, while talking, she slipped into her boots.   
“ So, kid... Whatcha wanna do?”   
“ Mmm... Dunno. Have fun. “ he looked towards Regina with a mysterious smile on his little face. “ Celebrate. “   
The brunette smiled at him, then looked at her with an unfathomable stare. “ I thought we could go for a horse ride. It could be funny.”  
Emma was a little confused. The night before they accorded in giving Henry a free day from school, but they didn't made plans for the day. “ We? You mean you two?” she asked, a little sad. She had never rode a horse, true, but she could learn. And she wanted to spend time with her son. As much as she could.   
But Regina gave her a tiny smile, shaking her head. “ No. We. Henry, you and me. If you don't mind, obviously...”  
Okay, she hoped for it, but she didn't really believe that she would say it. Kind Regina. Kind and smiling Regina. A true smile. No sass. No tricks. Emma had to wonder if her and Rapunzel...   
“ Sure! I mean, sure that I want to do it!”   
Henry smiled and ran out of the room. “ She said yes!” she heard him scream to someone else, probably David, in the living room. Emma couldn't help but smile. She stood up, passing a hand through her hair. “ Ready!” she exclaimed, proudly looking at Regina. Sometimes she still felt like a little girl in front of her, wanting to make her proud of her. That woman was naturally intimidating. And, actually, she truly was just a little girl compared to her. How old was she? She barely looked thirty-five and she had to be something like... sixty?   
“ Let's go, then.” Regina said, a weird look on her face, like if she perceived what she was thinking. Perhaps she did. She was a witch, after all. Odd. Everything was still weird to her.  
They entered the living room, and Emma found out that the answer to her question was standing there. “ Rapunzel! Didn't notice you were here, too. “ Emma smiled at her, and, as usual, the woman brightened the room with her smile. Not a real, happy smile, though. No, they didn't.  
“ Good morning, Emma. “   
The room was beginning to become too little. Mary Margaret and David were there too, their breakfast interrupted by the coming of the trio.   
“ 'Morning Em!” David and Mary said at the same time, making her smile.  
“ Mom, dad...” she greeted them, a little embarrassed by Regina's presence.   
“ David was kindly explaining to me that I need a job.” Rapunzel suddenly said, breaking the silence that had fallen in the house. “ And that for "job" he doesn't mean to be a mercenary. Such a pity! “ she sneered, making him laugh softly.   
“ No but...” Emma hesitated, looking questioningly to her father. He narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand. “ ... maybe you could work at the Sheriff's Office. “   
David nodded, finally understanding. “ Oh, sure! If we're in the budget...” he added, glancing at Regina. She flipped her hair with a tilt of her head.   
“ Ask Belle, not me, Charming.”  
“ Regina she is just a temporary subst...”  
“ Do you really think that someone would vote for me now?” she interrupted him, and he stayed silent then. Everyone glanced down but Mary Margaret and Rapunzel.   
“ If by "vote" you mean that you need someone to stand up for you, I'm in. “ the warrior said. Regina wasn't surprised, it seemed. But when Mary Margaret supported her, too, her eyes widened.  
“ Would you? “ she incredulously asked her, with a hint of challenge in her voice. Mary Margaret tightened her lips in an attempt of a smile.   
“ I know you. So, yes, I would.”   
Emma watched Regina. She swallowed and stayed immobile, eyes wide opened. If that wasn't total surprise...  
“ But King George won't let it happen. He wants power, ya'll know it. If he is still alive...” Rapunzel intervened.  
“ He is. “ her mother said, a bit if surprise in her tone, and Emma could swear that she saw even a little of angry regret in her eyes. Did her mother want him dead? She had to give a better look at Henry's book.  
“ So he will take the throne...”  
Emma stifled a laughter. “ There are no thrones here, Rapunzel.”  
Now the warrior was looking at her as if she had a pork nose. “ What?”  
“ There are elections now. People choose their.... governors by voting. “  
The Golden Death frowned and glanced down, assimilating the news. “ Oh. Alright, but... Hey, and the heirs? They have the right to take the thr... power.”  
“ One doesn't stay in charge until death here. Just a few years, depending on one's role, and then there is another election. “ Regina explained with a professional tone. “ It's called democracy.”   
Rapunzel was so stupefied that it was funny. Emma glanced at Mary Margaret, who was smiling, amused, as she thought.   
“ But... Why?!”   
“ To prevent... tyranny. “ Mary Margaret muttered, glancing at Regina. The two women looked at each other for a while. Her mother was the first to glance down.   
“ Indeed. “ Regina commented, a hint of darkness in her eyes. There was silence for a while, then David prevented a murder.   
“ You'd better move on if you wanna go for a real ride. Emma has to learn how to, it will take a while...” he said towards Henry, but smiling at his daughter then. She felt a little embarrassed, but smiled back at him.   
“ Yep. Right. Let's go, kid!” she exclaimed, feeling a fool for being the only one in that room, but more probably in the whole town, unable to ride a stupid horse.   
“ Enjoy the horse ride.” Rapunzel sighed. “ I'll go to Belle to talk to her about my role in this community. And about hers. “ she smirked to Regina, making her laugh softly.   
“ I can handle a librarian, Rapunzel... Plus, these vacations are particularly appreciated. “ Regina looked at Henry, smiling affectionately. Rapunzel nodded.   
“ I can tell.” she murmured smiling happily in turn.   
Regina gazed up at her.   
She looked... afraid, Emma uncomfortably thought, as an afraid Regina was an unpredictable Regina. Rapunzel glanced down, blushing, and the brunette simply swallowed and looked away. Maybe Emma was just worrying too much.  
She shared a knowing look with Mary Margaret, then they both hid their smiles.   
“ Moms? Do we go?” Henry asked, making her heart melt. She eyed Regina, and she suddenly knew that they shared the same, happy expression.   
“ Sure.” she said looking back at her excited son.   
They said goodbye to the others and exited the house. 

Rapunzel entered Granny's already pointing her preys. She greeted Red and her grandmother with a slight bow, then walked rapidly towards the couple's table.   
“ Hello, dearie!” Rumplestiltskin stood up smiling. Belle turned and smiled at her in turn.   
“ Hi!”   
“ Good morning, lovebirds!”  
“ Are you jeering at us?” an amused Dark One asked, pretending a dark look. Rapunzel laughed and sat next to Belle.   
“ Aye!”   
The girl laughed. “ Brave woman... Or terribly stupid! “ she pretended to be threatening, too, with narrowed eyes and a finger pointed towards her.   
Rapunzel laughed again. “ Probably both. Listen, I'm sorry to bother you guys, but, Belle, I heard you're the Mayor now...”  
She blushed a little. “ Yes, it's true. But just until the next elections.”  
“ She will stay in charge.” Red intervened while putting a smoking cup in front of Rapunzel. “ Try this. Watch out, it's warm.” she said winking at her.  
Rapunzel took the cup and sniffed its aroma. It seemed good. Red put a little sugar bowl on the table. “ Here's the sugar. On the house.” she winked again, then turned and went back working.   
“ Well, thank you!” Rapunzel murmured, sure to be heard even at that distance. As she expected, Red turned a little and smiled quickly at her before listening again to the client she was serving.   
“ So, what did you want to talk about?”  
She looked back at Belle. “ Well, I need a job, it seems. Prince David has already offered me one at the Sheriff's Office, whatever this means, but... “ she paused, looking at herself. She still wore August's clothes; they were comfortable, but she missed her armor, and her sword. “... I suspect I would be inadequate, if it isn't about using a sword and... You know... “  
“ Why? You could help him! You know, your strength could be very useful in catching criminals...”   
Rapunzel looked at Rumple, who had stayed silent until that moment. He was knowingly looking at her.   
“ Killian will need a job, too, and that would be good for him.” she said, not stopping to look at the Dark One.   
“ What are you really here for, dearie?” he asked before Belle could speak again.   
She stayed silent of a while. She was afraid to ask it, but... “ Are we staying here, Rumple? “  
He swallowed, glancing at Belle. “ I don't know. “  
She narrowed her eyes. “ Can't you see it?”  
“ No.” he shook his head. “ Magic is different here. I can't see the future. “  
Rapunzel nodded, then glanced down at the table, thinking.  
“ What?” Belle was confused. “ What are you talking about?”  
Rapunzel glanced at Rumplestiltskin, asking him to explain for her with her eyes. He nodded, then spoke.  
“ If we stay here forever, she probably won't need to use her sword, so she can stop training. Which is what she wants. A normal life. “ He eyed her, asking for a confirm. She nodded, so he continued. “ And so she needs a normal job. But if we go back to the Enchanted Forest, she will need to be ready to fight.”  
“ And you will, too. “ Rapunzel continued, eying Belle. “ So I was thinking to become a fencing master here, so that everyone can protect themselves if we need to fight. Which is probable, after thirty years. Being an army would be better than being a group of survivals in that case.”   
They both stayed silent. Belle was evidently hard put. The young woman looked at her love. “ What do you think?”  
He smiled at her and took her hand. In the meanwhile Rapunzel took a sip of the now lukewarm drink. It was bitter, but good.   
“ The choice must be only yours, Belle. “ he was saying “ But, if you ask me, I'd take some... precautions. For now we're safe here, but...”   
“ You don't have to decide now, Lady Belle.” Rapunzel smiled at her grateful look. “ Just think about it, alright?”  
Belle nodded. Rapunzel finished her drink and stood up.   
“ Good. See you soon, lovebirds! “ she said winking at them, making them laugh.   
She stopped at the counter before leaving. “ Red? What was that drink?”  
“ Coffee. Did you like it?”  
“ Aye! Coffee... Weird name. “ she said, patting thoughtfully the counter. Red stifled a giggle.   
“ Yeah. Hey, heard you need a job.”   
“ Sure you heard it, puppy!”  
Red jokingly hit her with the dish towel she was using to clean the counter. “ Don't call me puppy!”   
“ Alright, wolf cub!”  
“ Fuck you Rapunzel!”   
They both laughed hard. The whole diner was looking at them, but they didn't care.   
“ I was saying that you could work here...” Red continued after that she had finally stopped laughing. “ We need someone who cleans up after the closure.”  
“ We wouldn't if you weren't so lazy!” Granny growled, hiding a smile.   
Red shrugged. “ Whatever.”  
Rapunzel thought about it, then shrugged. “ Alright. Thank you.”   
Red's smile grew wider. “ Good! Come here at nine, I'll wait for you.”   
Rapunzel frowned. “ I'll ask Regina to tell me when "nine" is.”  
“ Oh, right, sorry...” Red tinkered with a weird bracelet around her wrist, then handed it to her. As she saw that Rapunzel didn't know what to do with it, she grabbed her arm and fastened it to her wrist. “ This is a watch. It shows the passing of time. When this hand is here and this is here, after sunset, then you come here. “ she explained to her, pointing the moving little black arms under the round glass. “ Clear?”   
Rapunzel nodded. “ I guess. How does it works?”   
Red laughed. “ I have no fucking idea! It's all about weird mechanisms and cogs and quartz... Dunno.”   
“ Quartz?”   
“ Yep.”  
“ So it's magical!”   
Red laughed again. “ Probably. Go, now. Take a look around, learn things, meet people! You need it!”   
Rapunzel frowned again, but then smiled. “ Aye, you're damn right. See you later... Cub!” she laughed, walking toward the door. She turned just in time to see Red's eyes flash yellow for a second while she smirked. 

Emma was trying with all herself not to watch Regina the whole time. Which was the main reason why she almost fell from the saddle twice. Three times now. Hell, that horse was agitated! “ Shit...” she muttered pulling the reins. Regina turned on the saddle to watch her. Emma felt her critical look slide upon her and frowned, embarrassed.   
“ If you can't be still, Miss Swan, then she can't. They feel it. Try to relax.”   
Emma eyed her, pretty surprised. No, really? Was Regina empathic now?   
“ Uhm, okay. I'll try.” she forced herself to say. The former Mayor gave her a skeptical look, then turned and purred her horse.   
Emma tried to imitate her, but the equine didn't move.   
“ Oh, come on!”   
She spurred her again, stronger, and finally the animal began moving. But it was too fast. The horse trotted for the first three seconds, then began galloping, and Emma didn't fucking know how to ride a horse at a gallop. She involuntarily screamed, trying to pull the reins, but the only result was to scary the horse and make her run faster. She clasped the saddle, trying to stay on it. She was almost falling from it when a dark stain invaded her field of view. A gloved hand reached her reins and firmly pulled them. Regina murmured something to Emma's mount, still pulling the reins, and the horse began to slow her pace. After a while both animals were simply walking. Emma, breathles and blushed, thanked her.   
Regina smirked. “ As mother as daughter...” she said with a dark stare that contrasted with her smile. Emma swallowed.  
“ What?”   
“ She saved grandma almost in the same way!” Henry had galloped his horse up to them, and now was smiling. He looked amused. “ It's cool, mom!” he added, looking at Regina.   
She gave a snort, slightly shaking her head. “ If you say so...”   
Regina gazed at Emma. She had a strange look, and the Savior couldn't understand what that meant.   
“ I find ironic that I saved the Savior, more than anything else.” she sneered. Henry laughed, Emma frowned.   
“ Well hell... I'm a mess!” she exclaimed, making Henry laugh harder.   
Regina almost smiled, but she then turned her horse and spurred him. “ Better if we go on.”  
Henry gazed at Emma. They both spurred their horses.  
“ Hey, Emma!” he whispered.   
“ What?”  
“ Sssshhh! Low!” he furiously whispered again, pointing at Regina with his chin. Emma raised her eyebrows. Another Operation Cobra? She thought that they were over with the Operations. She just nodded.  
“ I... hem...” Henry hesitated, gazed at Regina once again, then looked at her directly in the eyes. “ Do you think she loves Rapunzel?”  
Emma gave a start. Hell of a smart kid, he understood everything! She glanced at the brunette as if to watch her would give her the answer. Could she love again? Could she love a woman? “ I don't know, kid, you should talk to her if you...”   
“ Oh, no! I'd ruin everything! She'd be afraid and kick her out of home.”  
Emma snorted. “ Shit.” He was smarter than Mary Margaret.  
“ What?”  
“ Uh, nothing. Just... Your mother knows about... what Rapunzel feels for her. You can talk to her about it, don't worry.”  
Henry shook his head. “ No, no, I didn't mean that. I meant... She would be afraid if I talked about her feelings for Rapunzel, not the opposite!”  
Emma watched him as if he was a fucking alien. Wasn't he like eleven years old, bloody hell?! Why the hell was he speaking like he was older than her? It wasn't normal. She wondered how much Neverland had changed him.  
“ What?” he asked, probably noticing her expression.   
“ What? Errr, nothing, nothing. Well, kid, you're right, maybe... Okay, let's take it this way: if nothing happens in...hum ... three weeks? Then, you'll talk to your mother.”  
He thought about it, then nodded once. “ Okay. And if something happens?”  
Emma stared at him. His look was still the same: smart, curious... He was still her son. She sighed. “ Would it be a problem for you? I mean, your mother dating another woman...”   
He snorted. “ Why should it be it?”   
Emma snorted in turn, shaking her head with happy incredulity.” Yeah, wise man, why should it?”  
“ Wise man?”  
She sneered, but a glitter of pride was dancing in her eyes. “ You'll be it.”

Regina gritted her teeth and glanced down. Did they think she was deaf? She could hear them whispering... And Henry, boy, how could he think that she could love Rapunzel? That was just ridiculous! Let alone the fact that she had never felt any interest for a woman, didn't her son remember that her True Love was Daniel? She had had a relation with Graham, but it was nothing more than this. And Rapunzel then... She couldn't even trust her, how could she... Ah, even the thought was too stupid to be formulated. Three weeks... So for three weeks she would be under watch. Nothing new. Not so wise, Miss Swan. This had to be her genes' fault, she thought with a grin.   
It was time to make them stop. She turned on the saddle.   
“ When you'll have ended your whispered chat, I'd be glad to spend my time with my son, too, not only with Maximus, for how pleasant he can be. “   
She nodded towards her horse, just in case the former Sheriff couldn't remember his name.   
Emma and Henry put their poker faces on, but their fear was still evident. Regina smirked, amused. Caught!   
She turned on the saddle, caressing the white fur of the horse. Henry trotted next to them in a second, guiltily smiling at her. “ Sorry mom. We were just...”   
“ Trying to hide something from me.” she finished for him, unable to hide her rage. “ It appears to be quite a common behavior, I should expect it at this point.”  
“ No, mom, I was just...”  
She glared at him, making him give a start. She immediately regretted it, but the anger was burning too high in her chest. “ Weren't you talking in whispers to make me hear nothing?”   
He stayed silent, his jaw dropped. He was afraid of her, his eyes were enormous.  
“ Regina! Let him talk!”   
“ Don't you dare say to me what to do!”   
Emma made her horse gallop to outride them, and then succeeded in making her turn and stop right in front of Maximus. The stallion immediately stopped, neighed, and menaced to become frisky. Regina calmed him down, but her heart was beating furiously.   
“ Miss Swan! You could kill me!”  
“ Sorry. Listen...”  
“ "Sorry"? Really? I could have my neck broken and you...”  
“ Regina! Listen, bloody hell!”  
Regina stared at her fury. She forgot how to speak for a while. Enough to make Emma go on.   
“ Good! We were just trying to protect you, stupid selfish paranoid egocentric!”  
“ Emma...” Henry's voice was trembling.  
“ But, d'you wanna know? Well then, listen!”  
“ Emma don't...”  
“ Your son noticed that you're in love with the fucking amazing woman that loved you for all of your damn existence, and it's a fucking long period of time, when you can't even realize it because you're too concerned in being the main fucking victim of this shit of real fairytale!”  
“ Emma!” Henry screamed, but none of them noticed.  
“ And he was trying to make you understand it without interfering, because he's too fucking aware of everything for his age and he knows you're too fragile to have the strength to realize that you have a damn second chance to be loved, Regina! And... “   
Regina slapped her cheek. Emma's head turned with the strength that the rumor suggested. When she looked back at her, half of her face was already red. Regina found the strength to hold the fireball that burned in her other hand. The flame extinguished, but her rage didn't.   
“ You know nothing about me, Savior.” she growled, dark eyes filled with burning tears. She moved closer to Emma, stretching on the saddle. Their noses were almost touching. “ Dare again to say anything about me and I swear...”  
“ Mom!”   
Henry was crying. His pleading voice reflected the bright tears that slid over his red cheeks. He sniffed before talking again. Regina's heart crushed. He was terrorized. “ P-please mom...”  
“ Henry...”   
She tried to reach him, but his horse went back when he instinctively pulled the reins. Regina made Maximus stop, suddenly feeling empty. She did it again. She ruined, destroyed everything. The tears rushed free all over her face.   
“ Henry, please, don't run from me...” Her voice cracked. Something else cracked too, inside her chest.   
She bent down on the saddle, incapable to bear the pain. She couldn't control herself, and she broke down and cried.   
Henry stayed still, but still a hand laid on her shoulder. Emma's hand.   
A flare of rage burnt her soul. She stretched a hand towards her, with the intent to distance her. But she was out of control. The air thickened, and Emma was thrown down of her saddle. She fell on the ground, and rolled until she hit a tree. She then stayed still, face down. Her horse had run away neighing.   
“ Momma!” Henry screamed jumping down from the saddle and running up to her. He kneeled and touched her shoulder, but she didn't move.   
Regina dismounted and joined him, but he threw her away with a rough push. “ Stay away!”   
Regina could feel only pain, and see only tears. “ Henry...”   
“ Go away!” he cried out, weeping.   
He shook Emma by her shoulder, but she was immobile. He hugged her, crying. “ Please, wake up... Please...” he was whispering.   
Regina faltered. What had she done?   
Henry had taken his phone and was talking with someone with broken voice. He then put down the phone and hugged Emma again, still weeping. Regina made another step back. Henry glanced at her. Fear. Hate. Then he hid his face behind Emma's still figure again. Regina glanced down, watching her tears hit the dusty ground. Then a purple fog covered her figure, taking her away.


	16. Darkness

Snow was walking up and down across the waiting room. Occasionally David had tried to make her sit down, but she just couldn't do it. Her daughter was in an operation theater with a concussion that had almost killed her. Her daughter, the daughter she couldn't raise, the daughter she couldn't love for twenty-eight years. All because of her. Regina. The same person who tried to kill Emma. The same person who ran away as the coward she was.  
“ Snow, please...”  
“ Shut up, David! How can you be that calm? Our daughter's life is in danger!”  
“ She'll be fine, darling. She's strong.” But he wasn't sure of it, Snow could see it. His eyes were filled with tears. He was pale, and his legs were slightly trembling. Snow dried her tears.  
“ I'll kill her.” she growled. David stood up and came up to her, hugging her tightly. He said nothing.  
Snow watched Henry over David's shoulder, clung to Red, who was trying to comfort him. His gaze was empty, locked on the floor. He was weeping, but not crying anymore. When Whale had called her, and she and David had ran to the hospital, they had found him immobile, standing in the middle of the waiting room, eyes on the door beyond where Emma had disappeared. He was white on his face, totally covered in tears and soil, and there was a stain of blood on his cheek. Emma's blood. Henry had told them what had happened with flat, empty voice. He had kept weeping all the time. Then he had silenced, and stayed that way for the hour that had passed. They had hugged him, but he didn't react. When Red had come, she had somehow managed to make him sit down, and she had stayed with him since that moment.   
Regina succeeded in destroying him, too. Because he was shattered, it was clear. Snow doubted that he could ever ride over this thing.   
“ What the hell happened?”   
The known imperious voice made the room shiver. Snow distanced from David and came at Rapunzel.   
“ Your beloved Regina tried to kill my daughter, here's what happened!” she spit out with rage, challenging the imposing figure of the warrior. She widened her eyes, but then clenched her jaw.  
“ Snow...” David tried to say, but Rapunzel came closer to her, locking gaze.  
“ There must be a misunderstanding...” she replied with low, harsh voice, her eyes suddenly darkened.   
“ No.” Henry's thin but hoarse voice made them all turn to watch him. He was eying Rapunzel with a hateful gaze. “ She threw her down of the saddle with magic. She...” his voice faded away with his gaze. Snow's heart crushed for the thousandth time that day. She approached her grandson, trying to hug him after sitting next to him. He stayed still in her hug. Snow glared at Rapunzel.   
“ Do you still think that we're misunderstanding?”  
Rapunzel was speechless. She alternated her gaze between all of them, then lowered it. When she gazed up again at her, Snow saw only determination in her eyes. “ This can't be real. She'd never do something like that without a reason.”   
“ She was jealous!” Snow cried out, suddenly standing up. “ She wanted him only for herself! She always did!”   
“ You know this's a lie...”   
“ A lie? You weren't here, you don't know what she did to keep him with her! She's just a selfish monster, Rap...”  
Snow didn't see her moving. One moment she was screaming at her, the moment after she had the warrior's hand on her throat, and her back was pressed against the wall. Rapunzel's face, a mask of rage, was almost touching hers.  
“ Don't you dare, Snow White...”   
Shivers ran through her spine at the sound of that voice. She looked in her eyes. She thought that they were blue. She was sure that they were blue. But now... There was only darkness there. She couldn't see their color anymore. It was like looking directly in the Death's eyes. There was nothing there, but a death's promise.   
“ Hey! Let her go!” David shouted. Snow saw his hand on Rapunzel's shoulder. He was pulling, but she didn't move.   
“ Why are you so blind?” Snow asked with the little breath Rapunzel's grasp left her. “ How can't you see who she is?”   
Rapunzel snorted, a fierce rage that contorted her features. She moved closer, and spoke with her lips almost touching her left ear. “ I trust her more than I'll ever trust you, child.”   
She suddenly let her go and rapidly walked away, her heavy steps loud in the silent room. 

It couldn't be real. Regina would have never, ever done such a coward action. She knew her. She could be cruel, ruthless, violent, but never craven. There had to be a mistake. Henry was probably just angry with her for having hurt Emma. He was just a child, after all.  
She had to find Regina now. Even if she wasn't in danger, thing that she thought she was however, as everyone seemed to think that she wanted to murder Emma, she couldn't leave her alone in that moment. But where could she be? She didn't know that town. She had only took a walk around Granny's and on the shore, and she had just been in Regina's and Snow's houses... Her house! A safe place, her refuge. It sounded logical. She could begin from there. 

Regina tried for the umpteenth time to dry her eyes but, everytime she did, new tears gushed from them. She couldn't forget Henry's gaze. And Emma's immobility. If she was dead... She couldn't even think it. Henry would never forgive her. She could never forgive herself: Emma had always tried to help her. She had saved her life more than once, and saved Henry's happiness even more. She was in debt with her. But, still, was Henry her main worrying. He had already lost his father, if he'd lost his natural mother too... He'd be destroyed. Regina began again to sob in despair, hugging her legs. She had never felt so bad, so desperate, not even when Daniel or her mother had died. Or her father. She had killed him. She had killed her own father. She had killed so many people. But Emma... That shouldn't have happened. It was an accident, true, but... If only she had been more controlled! If only she wasn't so impotent against her own rage...  
Regina put a hand on her chest, right there, over her heart, where the pain was unbearable. She could almost feel it get darker. She suddenly felt the need to see it. Gathering her power she pushed against her chest. Her finger began to enter it, leaving her breathless. It was a horrible sensation. She thought about how many people she had made feel that way.   
Three soft knocks on the door startled her. She stopped pushing, her fingers between her ribs, not really touching them, as if they weren't real. She thought that the crowd would come to take her head. She imagined screams, insults, thrown stones. Surely not three kind knocks.   
Regina pulled away her hand, taking two seconds to catch back her breath. She stayed silent, waiting.   
“ Regina, are you in?”   
Rapunzel. Her eyes uncontrollably filled with tears again. Relief and fear flooded her. And pain as, for a moment, she thought, hoped it could be Henry. She let her head lean on the wall, eyes on the door. “ It's opened.” she said tiredly. So she realized she actually was tired. Of fighting, hating, killing. She was so weary.   
The door opened, Rapunzel rapidly went into the house and shut it, locking it. She then murmured something. A light-blue light sprung from her hands, and passed through the walls. A protective spell. Regina snorted, weeping. The Blue Fairy or Rumplestiltskin could break it in a moment.   
“ Are you crazy? To leave the door opened? Snow wants you dead!”  
Regina paled. So Emma was...  
Rapunzel kneeled next to her, and took her hand. Regina couldn't find the strength to look her in the eyes.   
“ Emma is being cured. She'll be fine, Victor is taking care of her.”  
Regina stared at Rapunzel in disbelief. The warrior was looking at her with a worried gaze. That beautiful, deep, caring look she always addressed to her. New tears wetted her cheeks. Rapunzel's face contorted with pain, actual pain, and her eyes got bright with tears. A hand of hers gently leaned on her cheek, making her give a start and widen her eyes. That touch was so gentle she had to cry more. Regina sobbed, suddenly clasping Rapunzel, hiding her face between her neck and shoulder. The warrior, after a trembling moment of hesitation, held her tight to her, caressing her back with one hand, ruffling her hair on her nape with the other, and so making her sob louder.  
“ Shush, it will be fine, it will be fine...” she whispered, succeeding somehow in calming a little her heart, after a while.  
Regina had no idea of the amount of time that they spent that way. She only knew that, when she finally stopped crying, she was exhausted. It was like if she had lost all of her forces. She could barely stay sit.   
Rapunzel broke the hug at her tiniest hint. When they distanced, Regina almost choked realizing that she had cried too. She instinctively caressed her cheek, making her falter. Shaya tried to hide everything with a snort.   
“ You're contagious.” she tried to joke, but with a sort of apologizing smile. Regina pulled back her hand. What was she doing?   
“ Hum, s-sorry, I... I lost control. I didn't want to cry on you...” Regina glanced down, but Rapunzel's hand on her shoulder made her lock gaze with her. She was smiling.   
“ Hey, I'm here for you. I'll always be.”   
Regina tried to hold the damned tears. She'd always been alone. She had never felt that warmth, the one she was now experiencing. It was beautiful.   
Rapunzel pulled back her hand, leaving a cold emptiness at its place.   
“ Tell me what happened.” she said, now serious and vaguely sad.   
“ Didn't Snow already tell you? I almost killed her daughter.”   
The warrior sighed. “ Aye, she said so, but she also said that you did it because you were jealous of Henry's love towards her. Thing that I sincerely can't believe. So, tell me what happened.”   
Regina gave her a long stare. She looked determined. Rapunzel had never doubted of her nature, she suddenly realized. Rapunzel had never thought that she was evil, or she wouldn't be there, giving her comfort, trying to know the truth with that sweet determination in her eyes. Again, Regina had to swallow back the emotion.  
“ It... it was an accident.”   
Regina clearly saw the slight relief in Rapunzel's face. Not as if she feared that she could have wanted to kill Emma, no, it was too small to be so; it was more like if she had had a confirmation of her thoughts. She couldn't help but stare at her for a while, again.   
Rapunzel raised her eyebrows. “ What?”   
Regina smiled, and watched her blue eyes brighten. “ Nothing.” she muttered, still staring at her.  
The warrior frowned again, but she even gave her a little smile. “ Alright. So...?”  
“ Right, hum... Well, we were fighting, actually. Me and Emma.”  
“ Why?”  
“ Because... I was angry. I was before them with the horse, and I heard them whisper. They didn't want me to listen. They hid so many thing to me... It makes me go mad! I thought Henry trusted me now, but... I was angry. I said them how I felt, Henry tried to protect Emma and I got angrier. Then Emma almost made me fall from the saddle and, when I told her, she began saying horrible things about me, wrong things... And I slapped her. I didn't want but... Henry was afraid. I tried to apologize with him, but he stepped back. He run from me. I... It killed me. I couldn't believe that it was happening again, that my son was running away from me with fear! I began crying, I lost control. And I was still angry.” Regina stopped for a moment, snorting. “ I'm beginning to think I always am. And then Emma put a hand on my shoulder, and I... Rapunzel, I swear it, I only wanted to push her away with my hand...”  
“ But you lost control of your magic.” the warrior finished for her, nodding with a knowing gaze in her kind eyes.   
“ Yes.” Regina whispered, clasping that look, its understanding, its kindness. “ I... I never meant to... She flew down on the ground, and hit her head... And then she was so still...”  
Rapunzel hugged her again, rubbing her back. That warmth filled her again, making her sigh in relief.   
“ It wasn't your fault, Regina. It was an accident.”  
“ I thought I had the control of my magic. And now Henry hates me...”  
“ He's just a kid, Regina. He's scared for his mother, nothing more.”  
“ No, he hates me. I saw it in his eyes.”   
Rapunzel broke the hug and grabbed her from her shoulder, looking at her straight in the eye. “ He doesn't. He loves you, you're his mother.”  
“ Emma is too.”  
“ Still you're the one he calls "mom".”  
Regina's jaw fell.   
Rapunzel gave her a tiny, bitter smile. “ Good. “ She stood up, stretching a hand towards her. “ Stand up. We have to go.”   
Regina stayed still. “ Where?”   
“ To the hospital.”  
“ Do you want me dead?”   
Rapunzel arched an eyebrow. “ Real question?”  
Regina shook her head. Rapunzel succeeded even in making her smile. “ Rapunzel, you said it too, Snow...”  
“ Snow can kiss my ass. Stand up, Regina. It's time to make them face the truth. “ 

Red was about to have an heart attack. Almost two hours and Victor didn't exit that fucking door yet. Henry didn't talk, Snow was a fury, David was trying not to fall to pieces and now Grumpy had begun muttering heavy insults towards the former Queen and her " blonde watchdog". Red felt a little offended at the name. It wasn't fair, but she didn't even try to make him notice it. It would have just made things worse.   
She didn't really know what to think. It wasn't impossible that Regina did what Snow thought, but she really didn't believe it. Regina had actually changed in the last period.   
The operation theater's door finally opened, showing an exhausted Dr. Whale. Everyone stood up and went to him.  
“ How is she?” David and Snow asked at the same time.  
“ She's fine.” Victor smiled. Everyone sighed in relief. “ We stopped the bleeding. We just had to suture the wound and plaster her broken wrist. We'll keep her under watch for a few days, then she'll go back home.”   
“ Can I see her?” Henry's voice was so harsh that Red could barely recognize it. Victor smiled.   
“ She's asleep now, but yes, sure. Go.” he added, pointing at the hallway at his right. Henry immediately ran there.   
Victor smiled, then looked at David and Snow. “ She will sleep till tomorrow. She may have an amnesia. There's always this possibility with concussions.”   
David hugged Snow, who put her hand on her opened mouth. She was weeping.  
“ Is it permanent?” he asked with broken voice.  
“ Generally not.” he shrugged. “ Maybe she would heal faster with some magical help...”  
Snow fiercely glared at him. “ Magic hurt her enough. I'll banish it from this town.”  
Then she walked away towards Emma's room, followed by David.   
Red met Whale's gaze.  
“ Was she serious?”  
Red shrugged. “ Dunno. She's angry, but she has her reasons to hate magic.”   
Victor nodded. Red couldn't help but admire his thoughtful face. She smiled at him. “ Well, Emma is good, so... better if I go back to work. Too many people watching her sleep.”   
He smiled back at her. “ True. See you tonight.”  
Red felt her heart beat faster. “ T-tonight?”  
“ Yes. I was thinking to eat at Granny's. Will you be there?”  
Red blushed instantly. “ Oh, yes, sure!” Stupid! He'll never ask you on a date! Look at him, the perfect doctor, with his white coat... His sexy white coat...  
“ Good! See you there.” He smiled again and turned. Red almost run away in embarrass. Did he notice? She hoped no.   
She was so concerned in her embarrass that she almost thumped on Rapunzel: the warrior avoided her at the eleventh hour.   
“ Mind your steps, Wolf Cub.” she murmured with low, threatening voice. Regina, fucking Regina Mills was walking next to her. Ruby immediately turned and began following them.   
“ Hey hey, wait! Where are you going?”   
“ To visit Emma.”  
“ You can't!” Red passed them and stopped, forcing them to do the same.   
“ Why?” Regina asked. Her eyes were so dark that the wolf inside Red agitated.   
“ B-because Snow is inside, and if you two meet, only one will survive. And I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be you, Regina.”   
“ Regina? You regal bitch of my nuts, you almost killed my bestfriend's daughter! “   
Grumpy heard them, it seemed. Ruby sighed.  
“ Grumpy...”  
“ Witch! Snow should have killed you when she could...”  
“ Grumpy.” Rapunzel's voice froze him. It froze everyone, actually. Red felt her gaze on her, and stared back at her, swallowing. She was calm, but rage burnt as unextinguished embers behind her eyes.   
“ Let us pass.”  
It wasn't a request.   
Red stepped back. The wolf was carving inside herself, trying to hide from those blue eyes.

David caressed again her daughter's blonde hair. There was a spot where it missed, a white rectangle of gauze that hid the wound that had almost killed her. His other hand was on her broken wrist ( the left one fortunately), as if he could heal it simply touching it. Never more than that day he wished to know how to use magic. Just to heal his daughter. Only to see her open her eyes as soon as possible.   
He felt his eyes get wet, and hold back the tears. He had to stay strong. For Snow, and Henry.   
The boy was on the other side of the bed, holding Emma's hand, his tiny, pale face left inexpressive.   
Snow was behind him, she couldn't see his face.  
“ She's fine, Henry.” David said smiling at him. His grandson barely glanced at him. “ She's just sleeping.”  
“ I know.” he said in a growl. He was angry, David realized. He sighed. He was, too. How could Regina have hurt his daughter? She had nothing to do with her hate towards Snow. Emma was a victim of their hate! She had grown alone, without her parents... And now this. He caressed her hair again. “ You don't deserve all of this...” he whispered without even notice.   
“ Indeed she doesn't.”   
Regina's voice startled him. He leaped up, upsetting the chair he was sitting on. He watched Snow put herself between the brunette and the bed. He realized a second later that Rapunzel was there too, standing next to Regina, giving a hard stare at Snow.   
“ Get out of here.” his wife said with threatening tone. David went closer to her. Henry had stayed still, he noticed with a glance.  
“ Not until you hear what I have to say.”  
“ Get out of here!” Snow shouted. David tried to calm her by leaning a hand on her back, but she refused it shaking her shoulders. “ Now!”  
“ You should go away.” he suggested to the former Queen. She barely looked at him. The flash of the memory of Henry doing the same, a minute before, hit his mind.   
“ It was an accident.” Rapunzel intervened. She wasn't looking at Snow anymore. She was gazing at Henry.   
“ You weren't there, you don't know...”   
The warrior glowered at his wife. “ I know what happened. You don't. You'd better listen, Princess.”  
“ Hey, don't you dare to threaten my wife!”  
“ I'm not.” she smirked at him. “ You'd be hiding under the bed if I was, Charming.”  
He was about to reply, but Regina put a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder. “ Don't be rude, dear. They're rightly angry. You don't have to make enemies because of my mistakes.”  
She wasn't mocking them. She was serious, it seemed. David, still challenging Rapunzel with his gaze, clenched his jaw. He was damn angry. He sneered at the warrior. “ Heard your mistress? “  
“ David!” an astonished Snow cried out, open-mouthed, suddenly turning to watch him. He blushed. This wasn't him. His rage suddenly disappeared.  
“ S-sorry, I didn't mean...”   
Rapunzel gritted her teeth, but she said nothing. David saw Regina give her a quick, worried glance before she continued.   
“ How charming of you, Prince David. A good example for my son.”  
“ I'm not your son.”  
Regina literally swayed and paled as if someone had stabbed her. Henry's voice was unrecognizable.   
Rapunzel tried to remediate: “ Henry I know you're furious but...”   
Henry was standing now. He and Regina had locked gaze. The brunette was silently weeping.   
“ I'm sick of your excuses. You're evil. I hate you! “   
The absolute calm whereby he said it was creepy.   
David looked at Regina. She looked broken, desperate.   
“ Henry, don't you dare address your mother this way!” he shouted, making him finally look at him. He felt Regina's gaze on him, too. He could almost feel her surprise. “ She doesn't deserve this treatment!”   
“ She does.” David heard Snow's voice say it, but he couldn't believe that had truly been her to say those words. He looked at his wife. She was grinning at Regina. The destroyed, hurt Regina that was staring at her with that pleading gaze.   
“ Snow what are you...”   
“ She does, David! She's a murderer! She's a monst...”  
“ It was an accident.” Rapunzel's voice covered Snow's. “ Regina was in pain, and she couldn't control her magic. She never meant to hurt Emma. She just wanted to be left alone with her pain, and you know why, Snow White?” The warrior had rapidly approached his wife. She looked like a tidal wave about to crush on her. All that anger... “ Because she's used to. You left her alone when Cora killed Daniel, when you thought that your happiness was more important than hers and insisted for her to marry your father. I saw her, Snow White. I saw her pain from a hundred feet of distance. She was right in front of you every bloody day, and you saw nothing.”   
“ I was a child!”   
“ You still are.”   
There was a moment of silence. It seemed that Rapunzel was trying to stay silent, but she couldn't. Here eyes were bright of tears. David couldn't see Regina behind her, but he bet hers were, too.   
“ And even when you grew up? I guess you knew what sex is, Princess.”   
“ W-what...?”  
Rapunzel snorted devilishly. “ See? You can't even think about it...”  
“ What are you talking about?”  
Rapunzel came closer to her, fury in her eyes. “ I'm talkin' about marriage duties, child. “   
Snow stepped back, a hand on her mouth. David was shocked, too. He had never thought about it. He glanced down, unable to watch Rapunzel's burning eyes. He barely heard Regina cry out her name. He looked at the former Queen. Their gazes met for a second, then they both lowered them.  
“ I'm sorry, Regina. But I told you.” Rapunzel moved, catching his attention. She was now standing next to the brunette again. Regina was awkwardly staring at the ground.  
“ Henry.” Rapunzel kindly called him. David turned to watch his grandson. His eyes were wide open, and he was looking at the warrior. “ You know that it was an accident.”  
Henry hesitated. He was confused. He looked at his mother, then at the other one. He looked even more confused then.   
“ Henry, I know you're angry with your mother, but it wasn't her fault. She'd never, ever hurt you. Never. She knows you love Emma, so she'd never hurt her, too. Can you believe me?”   
They looked at each other. Henry didn't make a move.   
Rapunzel pressed her lips together in a smile before going on. “ Listen, it's a bit that I'm around. I kinda know people. I... let's say I can see inside them. You're a good boy, Henry. You're pure. Emma is, too. And your grandfather. “ She winked at David, making him arch his eyebrows. He didn't see that coming. “ But me, your grandma and your mother, we aren't. As Rumple isn't. Or Red. We're stained... or totally dark. You can guess who might I refer to.” She laughed, then mouthed "Rumplestiltskin". Henry almost smiled. She smiled widely. “ And I'm not much better, but... Am I so terrible?”   
Henry hesitated, but finally he answered with a hint of voice. “ When you're angry.”  
Rapunzel laughed. “ True! You see? It's the thing that me and your mother have in common: we're pretty hot-tempered.” She laughed again, and this time he smiled. Regina almost cried, behind Rapunzel. “ Aye, I know. But there's only one reason why we get that angry...” Rapunzel's tone had changed. Her voice was slightly trembling, and her cheeks were red now. “ And that reason is love, Little Prince.” She paused, evidently holding back the tears. She looked terrorized. Henry made a step towards her. “ She was so afraid of losing you that she lost control on the only thing she has ever had control on: magic. She didn't want to hurt Emma. She hates herself for what happened, believe me.”   
Henry stayed still for a bit, but then he ran towards her. No, not towards Rapunzel. He passed her and hugged Regina so tightly and with so much outburst that she hit the wall behind her. The former Evil Queen fell on her knees, crying and hugging her son.   
“ I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry...” he was saying to her, weeping. She folded him in her arms, drowning in his hug.  
“ It's all right sweetheart! It's all right...”  
David felt tears in his eyes.   
He looked at his wife. She was watching the scene with a weird expression. She wasn't moved at all. She looked almost... angry. She glanced at him. Yes, she was angry. But not with Regina. He was neither, no more. David hugged his wife, breathing her scent.   
“ I thought I lost you.” he whispered in her ear. He felt her shiver.  
“ I lost myself.”   
David broke the hug to look her in the eyes. She looked shattered now. “ I'll have to find you, then.” he tried to smile.  
She tried too, but without success.


	17. The Savior

When Emma opened her eyes the electric light almost blinded her. She had to close them again, feeling fresh tears wet them. Too much light. Her head was painfully pulsing, especially a point somewhere behind her left ear. She rose one heavy hand to touch that spot, and found a rough gauze between her hair. She tried to move it, but she found out that she couldn't move her wrist. She half-opened her eyes and watched it. It was plastered. Fuck.  
“ Emma!” Mary Margaret said with enthusiasm and a little of worrying, and, above all, she said it too loud. Emma moaned.  
“ Turn down the volume please...”  
“ Sorry, sorry...”   
Emma saw her get closer to her. She was weeping. Her mother sat on a chair next to her bed, and began caressing her hair. At first time Emma found it weird, unusual, but then she could only find it reassuring.   
“ How do you feel?”  
Emma smiled. “ Thirsty.”   
“ Oh, sure!”   
It took her two seconds to fill a glass of water and hand it to her. She helped her to sit, setting the pillows behind her back, and then watched her drink. It was embarrassing. Emma took a look at the room. David was sleeping in an uncomfortable position on a chair so tiny that God only knew how could it hold his weight, and Henry had fallen asleep with his head and arms on her bed. She gently ruffled his hair. He moaned, but didn't woke up. “ What time is it?”  
“ Five fifteen a.m.”   
Emma gazed at her mother. “ Fuck. How long have I slept?”  
Mary Margaret smiled. Snow White, Emma tried to convince herself. She still couldn't connect that name to the woman she had in front of her.   
“ Just yesterday afternoon and night. “ Her smile disappeared though Emma's appeared.  
“ Good.” She exhaled in relief. “ I was afraid I had lost a couple of years.” she sneered, but Snow's face paled, although she tried to smile.  
“ Oh please no, enough with lost years!”   
Emma narrowed her eyes. “ Are you okay?”  
Snow nodded so furiously that it made her frown.   
“ I'm fine, mom. I just hit my head.”  
“ And broke your wrist.”  
“ It'll heal.”  
There was a pause. Snow's eyes were wet. “ It could have been worst. She could have killed you.”  
A stream of sudden memories flowed in her mind. She remembered her fight with Regina, Regina's reaction after Henry's fear, and that she had tried to comfort her... Then she had felt like if a huge fist had hit all over her body, and everything had become black.   
Emma watched Henry. He was fine. Ah, how could she think it? Regina would always protect him, even against herself.  
“ Where is she?”  
Snow's eyebrows jumped up. “ Home. She's been here till midnight, then went home. She said you'd rather have only your family here when you'd wake up.” Snow was smiling. Emma, on the other hand, was shocked. “ But she's part of the family, too!”   
Snow's eyes impossibly widened. “ Emma she almost killed you...”  
“ Mom, if she wanted me dead, I'd be. It was an accident...”  
“ She used magic!”  
“ I did too!”  
Mary Margaret was speechless.   
“ It was my fault, I guess. My magic called hers. I... I don't know. I felt like if I could feel what she was feeling, and when I touched her... It was like an explosion. I felt her power flow towards me, but I... hum... I involuntarily tried to protect myself and it hit me. It's not her fault, really. I didn't want to do it. Guess I'm still unaware of my, hum, powers?” she snorted “ Powers. I feel like freaking Spider-Man.”  
Emma gazed at Mary. She looked astonished, scared, angry and worried at the same time.   
“ Are you okay?” she once again asked to her mother.  
Snow finally closed her mouth and cleared her voice. “ Sure. Yes. Just... I don't like magic. It's...”  
“ Dangerous?”  
“ Corrupting.”  
Mother and daughter looked at each other for a while. Emma held her hand. “ Only if you let it be it.”   
Snow smiled sadly. “ I know. I did.”  
“ Mom, what you did with Cora was necessary...”  
One single tear slid on her cheek. “ I know, but I should have done it by myself. Make Regina kill her mother... Neither she has ever been so cruel.”   
Emma sighed. She wanted, she really wanted to find a way to comfort her, but she couldn't deny her words, even because she knew almost nothing about the "Evil Queen". So she tried to ease the situation smirking. “ Well, let's say you were a little exasperated...”  
Snow stifled a bitter laugh. “ This could be true...” She then gazed at her so intensely that Emma almost felt the need to lower her eyes. “ Thank you.”   
Emma shrugged. “ Don't. Call Regina instead. I need to talk to her. “   
Snow's face fell. “ B-but it's five in the morning Emma...”  
“ Half past five now.”  
“ Whatever, she'll be sleeping...”  
“ She'll forgive us for waking her up.”  
Snow arched one eyebrow. “ She's not so good in forgiving, in case you didn't notice...”  
Emma shrugged again. “ I don't care. Call her.”  
Her mother sighed heavily. “ Emma...”  
“ What?”  
She sighed again. “ Can't you wait? I don't want to see her before I didn't even eat breakfast...”  
“ Mom.”  
“ Uh?”  
Emma smiled sympathetically to her. But she had to realize the truth. “ Me and Regina are connected. After what happened in the mine, when I helped her with the device... I don't know. I just feel it. And I know it's true, or this wouldn't have happened.” she said, pointing at herself with a wave of her sane hand.   
Snow sighed in resignation. She took her phone from her bag and stood up.  
“ I'll be here in a minute.” she said with flat voice before slowly walking out of her room. 

So white. Rapunzel was right, her house was so damn white. Her ceiling was it, particularly, or so it seemed to her in that moment. The early morning light was brightening it from too much time. Regina was tired to stay there, watching the ceiling. She did it all night long.   
She tried to sleep, but the memories of how many times she made her son suffer had kept her awake. He forgave her again. And only thanks to Rapunzel, she realized at 4:04 a.m..   
Shaya had finally admitted it. She was talking to her son, but she was sure she was addressing to her. That speech... she wanted to convince Henry, true, but she was sure it was a memorandum for her, too. She wanted to remember her who she really was, Regina realized at 4:45 a.m.. And now, 5:27 a.m., she was waiting until 6:00 to get out of bed, take a shower and drive to the hospital. To see her son, mainly, but to see Emma, too.   
All night long she recalled, repeatedly, those few minutes when everything had happened. And, still, something was wrong. She had never lost control of her magic. Never. Rapunzel said it right: magic was the only thing she had ever had control on in her life. She owned it. It was part of her. It was impossible that she had lost control on it. If it was true... No, it couldn't be. So, what had happened? Could she have unconsciously wanted to wound Emma? Still, after all that they had passed? After all the times she had saved her life? No, impossible. If she did, they were righter than she thought, and she was eviler than she'd ever knew. No, jealousy couldn't be the right answer. Obviously. It was Snow's answer, after all.  
She startled when her phone began to ring. A sudden anxiety assaulted her. Was Henry fine? And Emma? She grabbed the phone.  
“ What happened?” she asked with harsh voice. She needed a coffee.  
There were seconds of silence that killed her on the other side. Then came Snow's surprised and annoying voice. “ Nothing bad. Emma is awake. She wants to talk to you. Now.”  
Snow hung up. Regina watched the phone as if it had began to splash hot water. She hung it and jumped out of her bed.   
She washed and dressed in fifteen minutes. She flew out of her room. “ Rapunzel I'm going to the hospital, close the door when you...” Rapunzel's room was empty. Regina ran downstairs, but there was no trace of the warrior there neither. Maybe she was at Granny's. She took the car's keys and quickly closed the door. 

Regina almost irrupted into the hospital. Everyone let her pass without a word, even if it wasn't exactly the visiting hour yet. Having been the Evil Queen had its advantages, she had said with a smirk. Emma laughed hard, but then remembered that her parents were there, too, and smiled embarrassedly to them.   
Henry watched his mothers. Regina was looking at him, now. She was still on the door, with an hoping gaze. He smiled to her, stood up and hugged her. “ 'morning mom!” he said. She hugged him back so tightly that he almost suffocated. “ Mom, I can't breathe!”  
She laughed of her deep, true laughter. “ Sorry sweetheart.” She ruffled his hair. Her black eyes were glittering. He smiled again to her.  
“ No problem. “  
“ Henry, why don't you take a walk with your grandparents? You've been here all night!” Emma asked him. Snow came closer and put a hand on his shoulder.   
“ We could go to Granny's and then come back here. We could take some magazines for your mom on the way back, what do you think?”   
Henry looked at Emma, then at Regina. “ But I want to stay with you.”  
The brunette gently caressed his cheek, smiling. “ I want you to stay, too, but me and your mother have to chat a little.”  
“ About what happened?”   
She nodded. “ Yes.”  
“ Also.” Emma said instead, making him turn to watch her. She smiled to him. “ Don't worry, kid. It won't take long. “   
He thought about it. Actually he was hungry, but he had that never lasting fear that bad things would have happened if he'd let them alone. “ But... And if...” He glanced at his mother. Regina crouched in front of him, her hand still on his cheek. “ I promise that everything will be fine, Henry. I swear it.”   
He nodded sighing. “ Okay.”   
She smiled sadly, so he hugged her. He hid his face in her hair. She smelled good. She smelled home.   
When he broke the hug Regina's eyes were wet. She winked to him, and let him go. She had never winked to him. He was so surprised that he didn't even notice that his grandpa had talked to him.  
“ Henry?”  
“ Uh?”  
“ Are you okay?”  
“ Oh, yes, yes. Were you saying....?”  
He stifled a laughter. “ I asked you if you have to go to the toilet before we go.”  
He suddenly realized that, yes, he had to. “ Oh, yes! I'll just be a minute...” he yelled while running toward the restroom.

Emma watched Regina looking at Henry while he was going out. The former Queen then gazed at her with worried eyes. “ He's not fine.” she said. Her eyes were wet. Emma nodded in a sigh.  
“ I know. It's from...” she swallowed, glancing down. “ You know. Neal.”  
Emma heard Regina sigh, then her steps. She looked back at her while she was sitting on the chair previously occupied by David, next to her bed, at its right. “ What about you?”  
Emma shrugged. “ I'm fine. It's not for this that I wanted you to come here.” a tensed silence reigned for a while. Emma took a deep breath. “ You know what happened yesterday, right?”  
Regina glanced down, twisting her hands. “ I guess. I... lost control.”  
Emma widened her eyes. She hadn't understood yet! “ No! I did!”   
Regina immediately looked at her with surprise. “ What?”  
Emma smiled. How couldn't she have noticed it? “ I... I don't know if it is the right term, but I called your power with mine. It's my fault if it then hit me.” She explained to the brunette what had happened. While she talked, her eyes grew wider, and her jaw dropped.   
“ Emma... What you did...” Regina had a low voice, lower than it'd ever been in her presence. When she eyed her, her eyes were two dark, glittering abysses. “ It's one of the most powerful magic of all...”  
Emma started. “ But... I didn't even wanted to do it...”  
“ Imagine what you could do wanting to!” Regina snorted. “ You could possibly even challenge Rumplestiltskin's power!”   
Emma laughed nervously. “ Wait, wait, I'm not going to do it. Don't wanna fight anymore, actually. Overall against my son's grandfather.” she smirked. Regina stifled a dark laughter.  
“ I wasn't asking you to do it. Just saying...”   
She said it so ironically that Emma burst into laughter. The throaty one of the former Queen followed hers.   
“ Okay, I'll ignore it. But, listen, you know I'm curious: why is that magic so powerful?”  
Regina looked at her as an old lady would look to a child: knowingly and with a little amused sense of superiority. “ Calling other's magic? It's like... trying to make one breath only thinking it. Without magic, I mean.”  
“ But it's impossible.”   
“ Exactly.” Regina sneered. “ It should be. But certain people, powerful witches and wizards with an innate particular skill in feeling other's emotions, we call them empathic now, but we called them Sensitives at that time, can develop this capacity to "call", as you said, other's magic. And "call" is the right term, dear, don't worry. “   
“ Oh.” Emma thought about it. It was weird, but not as being Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter. She could believe it. Plus, Regina wasn't lying, she was sure. “ So the fact that we blocked the curse together has nothing to do with this. “  
“ Perhaps it has. I can perceive this... connection, too. It's a slight sensation, barely perceptible, but it's real. I guess you can feel it stronger than me...?”  
“ Mh, maybe. But... Why didn't you tell me before?”  
“ Why didn't you?”  
Emma goggled. “ I realized it just yesterday while it was happening! You already knew it!”  
Regina sighed, then shrugged. “ I... I was afraid that it was...” she glanced down, but then seemed to have found her strength again, and looked back at her with such a regal demeanor that Emma almost felt in awe. “ I was afraid that it was just imagination. That I could want so much to have a friend in my life, someone who could understand me, that I simply autosuggested.”   
Emma's jaw dropped. She didn't see this coming. She was astonished. And Regina was about to become angry. She had to hurry up. “ B-but you already had it! Rapunzel!”  
Regina slightly blushed. “ She's not my friend, she loves me.” she said with a hint of voice. But Emma could see that she didn't really believed that. There was a big flashing doubt in her eyes. She smiled to her.  
“ What else are you asking for, Regina?”  
“ I told you! A friend!”  
Emma pressed her lips together in a new smile. “ Nope. You need love. That kind of love, not as Henry's, before you say it. You know it's true. Don't deny it, you don't have to do it with me. I am your friend. “   
Regina's eyes were moist with tears, and full of gratefulness. She didn't need to say anything.   
“ We're family, Regina. This, at least, did you get it before now?”   
Regina opened her mouth to talk, but then closed it again, and just nodded, glancing down. She laughed quite hysterically.   
“ What?” Emma asked after a while, but Regina went on laughing. “ What's up?” she tried again, almost laughing, infected by the brunette's laughter.  
“ I have a connection with the Savior...” she went on laughing. Emma frowned.   
“ Sooo....?”  
“ It's way too ironic, dear! We'll almost be the same person...” Regina couldn't help herself and burst again into laughter.  
Emma frowned. That was a weird thing.” Really?”   
“ Yes, if you improve your capacities!” Regina had stopped laughing now. She was still smiling, though.   
“ And if I don't?”  
Regina waved a hand towards her. “ Do you want to lose control again?”  
Emma was conflicted. “ No! But I don't even wanna... Shit, Regina! What does it means the same-person shit?”  
Regina laughed again. “ It means that Snow will kill me!” 

Regina slowly opened the door. She stayed in the threshold for a while, listening, but no sound reached her ears.  
“ Rapunzel?” she tried to call out, without getting any response. Maybe she was still taking a look around the town? Ah, if she had a phone... Regina promised herself to buy one for her. But by now... And if she was in danger? No, Rapunzel, in danger... Impossible! But still... She gave a start. She totally forgot it! “ Stupid, stupid Regina! You're a mess...” she murmured to herself grabbing the phone and furiously dialing the number. Only one number was missing when the phone began to ring. Regina read the name on the display in astonishment. She pressed the green button.  
“ Emma?” she asked in disbelief.  
“ Hey, I... is something wrong?”  
Regina swallowed and leaned against the door, her eyes locked on the staircase in front of her, although she wasn't really looking at it. Even at that distance...  
“ Regina?” the distorted voice made her blink.  
“ Y-yes, I'm here, sorry... Uhm... It's about Neverland.”  
She almost felt Emma shiver. “ What happened?”  
“ Nothing, but...” Regina sighed passing a hand through her hair. “ Don't you think it's been way too easy to save Henry?”  
An artificial electric silence followed her words for a few seconds before Emma spoke again, in a lower voice. “ Maybe. But it's just because Rapunzel...”  
“ I know, I know, but... They could attack us when we were on the Jolly Roger. When you and Hook went to the cave, I mean... They had the time to do it!”  
Another silence. “ What's on your mind?”   
“ Perhaps...” Regina hesitated: it was an improbable possibility, but...  
“ What?”   
“ Perhaps the Lost Boys wanted to go out of Neverland, and they used the portal that we opened.”   
Silence again. Emma was dubious. “ Couldn't they find another way to do it? I mean, an easier one... And they had Tamara and Greg with the beans! Why take Henry if they just wanted to go out of there?”   
Regina thought about it. “ Well, Neverland isn't that easy to leave...”  
“ We did it easy.”  
“ Indeed.”  
“ If Greg had...wait. You said that Greg said that he was going to use the beans to go to a hospital and then go back to Neverland.”  
Regina smirked. “ Exactly, dear.”  
“ So... But why? Do you think he betrayed them?”  
Regina frowned. “ I think that they couldn't leave the island with just a bean. They needed some kind of ulterior magic. And maybe Henry has it inside himself. Or you. Perhaps you have it. You opened the portal, after all.”   
“ Me? Then why take Henry?”   
Regina rolled her eyes. “ He's a bit easier than you to catch, don't you think?”  
“ But, Regina, this is so... twisting!”  
“ I know, I know.” she sighed, leaning her head against the door. “ But it's logical. They needed you, but they couldn't catch you, so they took your son, sure that you'd run and go to save him, taking him back home.”  
Regina heard Emma sigh. “ Still think it's twisting.”  
Regina smiled. “ I suppose it is. I'll ask Rapunzel, she knows them, maybe she can tell us something useful.”  
“ I could ask Hook.”  
“ Do it. And keep Henry safe.”   
“ Yes, he's right here...” A pause, his voice on the background, incomprehensible. “ He greets you.”   
Regina couldn't help but smile. “ Kiss him for me. Now I have to find Rapunzel, I'll come and pick...”  
“ Wait, why "find"?”  
Regina uselessly took a look around the hall. “ I don't see her from yesterday night. She wasn't home this morning when I woke up. Thought she was working.”  
“ Wait, Ruby told me that she works at Granny's after the closure. She cleans the place.”  
Regina grimaced in disgust. She cleaned Granny's? She was a damned princess! “ Maybe she went there sooner...”  
“ Have you checked?”   
“ I passed in front of it coming back home, but I didn't saw her. But maybe she was behind, in the magazine, or...”  
“ Regina, you have just said that maybe the Lost Boys are here, and they've already almost killed her...”  
Regina swallowed. “ I know, I thought it, but she knows how to defend herself and...”  
“ Yes, with the sword, but I don't think she has it with her, does she?”  
Regina froze for a second. She was so used to see her with her sword at her hip that she didn't even thought that she wasn't wearing it in those days. The former Queen run upstairs and irrupted in the warrior's room. The bed was perfect, and Rapunzel's leather clothes were on it. Regina turned to see the sword, leaning on the wall, where the warrior left it the day before. She sighed. “ No, she doesn't. She's unarmed, but... Shit, Emma, her body is a weapon itself!”  
“ Did you just say "shit"?”  
Regina was running again downstairs, but found the time to roll her eyes. “ Miss Swan!”   
“ Okay, alright... I'll send mom to look for her, so call her if you find her. Dad will stay here, just in case that the Lost Motherfuckers Boys need my help again. “   
“ Good, but don't use this language in front of Henry!”   
Regina closed the conversation and flew out of home. She jumped on the car, managing to engine it and to put the phone in her pocket at the same time. Snow White! Emma wanted to send that idiot to find Rapunzel. She had to look for more useful helpers.


	18. The lost one

“ So, just one coffee?”   
“ Yes, thanks.”   
Ruby smiled to the good looking man sitting at the table and turned to go back to the counter. Three good looking men, in truth. They were somehow familiar, but she couldn't tell where did she see them before. The one who wanted the coffee was taller then the others, and his green, deep eyes were hypnotizing. The second place in the ranking was for the one at his left, a sort of football player with a weird tattoo of a funny pig on his neck, but his eyes, too... they were so black that she froze when she first looked at him. And his leery smile...  
The third was red haired, with the long beard a little lighter, almost blonde, and light blue eyes that seemed to follow her every single move. He was so silent that he was creepy. He just smiled at her with his eyes, but his mouth stayed immobile. She felt his gaze on her even in that moment.  
“ Who are they?” she asked Granny as she walked behind her. The woman gave them a brief look, then shrugged.   
“ I don't know them. But they're dangerous.”   
Red watched her with an arched eyebrow. “ How can you say it? You just said that you don't know them!”  
Granny sighed. “ Haven't you seen their eyes, child? Bring them the coffee and then stay away, trust me.”  
Red sighed but nodded. She was taking the cup when Regina entered in the diner. She smiled to the brunette.  
“ Hello, Reg...”   
“ I need your help.” she harshly interrupted her. She was still on the door, and she was keeping it open. “ Now.” she added imperiously.  
Red narrowed her eyes. “ I'm working.” she almost growled. That tone irritated her.   
“ She asked for your help, although she doesn't really know how to do it without making it seem an order.” Granny intervened, eyes on Regina. The former Queen tightened her lips, but finally nodded once.   
“ Indeed.”   
Granny smiled. “ Go, Ruby. There's little to do here.”   
Red watched the grateful Regina put her now impatient gaze on her. Red jumped over the counter and joined her  
“ What's up?” she asked her while they exited the diner. Regina didn't hide the worrying.  
“ It's about Rapunzel. Have you seen her today?”   
“ No, why?”  
“ You have to find her, then.” Regina handed her an old white blouse. Couldn't be none else's but Rapunzel's. “ I washed it, but maybe...”  
Red took it, but watched Regina in disbelief. “ Wait, is she missing?” Regina just nodded. She was so worried that Red could almost smell it. However... “ What have you done to her?”   
Regina gave a start. “ What? Nothing! I'm trying to find her! She could be in danger!”  
“ If she run away, you must have...”   
“ What if she didn't run away, Miss Lucas?” Regina's eyes glittered with anger. “ What if someone wounded her and she's hiding somewhere waiting for help? “  
Ruby was astonished: were her eyes really wet? “ W-well...”  
“ No, Miss Lucas, no "well": sniff this damned shirt and bring me to her, or I swear you'll personally know why they call me the Evil Queen.”   
Red swallowed, eyes wide opened. She'd never admit it, but she was in awe. Regina was fucking intimidating, and, even if she was very shorter than her, she seemed to loom on her. She brung the shirt to her nose, closed her eyes and inspired the scent of the warrior, mixed to the laundry soap. She smelled of leather, trees and rain, and a vague hint of iron. She remembered that smell. Red suddenly opened her eyes, and she knew that they weren't green anymore. She perceived the slight trace of the warrior right there where they were. She began walking, following the faint smell.   
Regina ran behind her. “ Hey, where are you going?”  
“ Dunno, but she was here.” Red suddenly stopped. The trace had disappeared. She sniffed deeply the air, rotating the head. For a very brief moment she felt it again. She had to look for it for a while, but eventually she found it. Ruby crossed the road without even looking where she was walking, ignoring the furious horns.   
“ Ruby!” Regina cried out, but then she followed her. “ Are you crazy? You could be dead!”   
“ Mh.” The cars had taken away the trace. She had crossed the road, but neither on the other sidewalk there was Rapunzel's scent. She growled, frustrated. “ I lost her!”  
“ What? You can't loose a trace! You're a wolf!”   
Ruby turned to face her, furious. She gritted her teeth, aware that they were almost fangs. “ I'm not a wolf, and even if I was, do you know that not even wolves can follow every very trace?” she waved her hands, pointing at the whole Storybrooke in her mind. “ Not on the middle of a town, at least. “  
Regina suddenly opened wide her eyes. Her gaze was distant. “ What?” Red asked after a while. The brunette blinked repeatedly and looked back at her.   
“ The forest.”   
Ruby arched an eyebrow and stretched a hand towards the east.   
“ There.”   
“ I know! I mean, she could be there. You could find her there, isn't it?”   
Ruby nodded. “ Yes.”   
Regina turned. “ Let's go.”   
Ruby waited until she was in the middle of the street. She never noticed but Regina's ass was... She shook her head. What was her problem?! Was it possible that she could only think about one thing that day? She had found attractive half Storybrooke from when she had woken up, and she actually met half Storybrooke that morning. She was afraid to meet Snow now. She didn't want to think of her in that way. Dammit! She was her best friend! The only ones she didn't found attractive were Granny and the red haired of the trio.   
“ Miss Lucas!”   
Ruby awoke. She was standing in the middle of the road. What the hell was happening to her? She shook her head, apologized with the furious driver beside her and reached the former Queen, hoping to not pitch into her while she was driving that fucking tiny car. 

Regina flew out of the car, waiting impatiently for Red to do the same. She watched her take a look around, then sniff the air like a dog. The werewolf gazed at her with her yellow eyes. “ You were right. And we're lucky.” she smiled.  
Regina felt as if a huge cold stone was taken off of her chest. She sighed. “ Why lucky?”  
Red Riding Hood shrugged. “ Because the wind brought her scent to me. Let's go now.”   
Regina nodded and followed her through the forest. Fortunately she wore her boots. With the heels she could have never walked that fast.   
Every step she took was a torture. What if she was wounded again? What if she was dying? Or already dead. Maybe...  
“ Do you smell blood?” she asked in a whisper to Ruby. The girl glanced at her, then she grumbled.  
“ Don't you think I'd be running if I did?”  
Regina felt herself blushing. She was right, but she'd never admit it. “ If I'd think it, I wouldn't ask.”   
Ruby suddenly stopped walking, so Regina almost stumbled on her. She looked at her, trying to get herself a grip even if the sudden lack of movement had surprised her.   
“ Don't you ever dare saying this shit to me anymore, Regina. I'm not Snow. I get angry quickly.”  
Regina challenged that angry amber gaze with hers, sneering. “ Down, Cub. “  
Red came closer, gritting her teeth. “ Don't you dare...” she growled, but Regina interrupted her, grinning at her.  
“ Why? It's an affectionate nickname...”  
“ From someone who can feel affection.”  
Regina clenched her jaw, but then forced herself to smile. “ Indeed. “ she growled, her voice deeper than Ruby's could have ever been. The werewolf narrowed her eyes, apparently satisfied.   
“ Yeah, sure. Henry would agree.”   
Regina felt her rage spring again, and stepped even closer to Red, facing her. “ What you think isn't important, dear. You're just a useful bloodhound, and I'm now using your skills, as Snow always did.”  
“ Snow is a friend! But...” She snorted. “ ... I know you can't understand what friendship is. You never had a friend. You never deserved one. “ Regina stayed silent this time. That hurt. She needed time to let the pain fade away, or the burning rage that she was so desperately trying to hold...” They called me monster, but just because you weren't next to me. Even the Big Bad Wolf pales confronted to you... Your Majesty.” She spitted the last two words as if they were the bitterest thing in the world. Regina felt the same sensation in her mouth. She gazed insistently at the girl, hoping that words wouldn't be necessary. But they were, it seemed, as the Child of the Moon still looked at her with deep hate.  
“ I know what I am. But I even know that what I am brought me Henry, so... I'm happy of how things went. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. And what I've done brought even Rapunzel to me. So I can't regret what I've done. Consequently, I understand if you can't forgive me. I wouldn't, if I were you. And what you said is true, I never had a friend. Well, I had one, but I didn't knew it, and I sent her to Neverland. Now I have one, however, and it's Emma. My son's natural mother. My archenemy... “ She laughed bitterly, ignoring the astonished look on Ruby's face. “ But I guess that now we have more important things to do, Miss Lucas. “   
The brunette watched the werewolf try to control herself. She didn't know her well, but that behavior was unusual for the girl. She looked frantic. Maybe she was just stressed. Who wasn't in Storybrooke in those days, after all?  
“ Yes, better if we go.” Red turned and walked away with heavy, angry steps. Regina immediately knew that it wouldn't be easy to follow her.

Rapunzel threw another stone in the tiny lake, a spring of fresh water hidden between three musky rocks and an old oak. A newt was slowly moving under the limpid surface, its silhouette distorted by the steam.   
The warrior distractedly took another stone and weary threw it, far from the newt. She was shattered, but she had had to say it. To save her. She had to. It was the only way. Was it? Couldn't she just say to Henry another thing? That... that... No. She couldn't. But maybe she didn't notice! Oh, but that look... And that silence, when they went back home. Home... She had to leave that house. She should have already done it, but she wasn't strong enough. She couldn't stand to leave her again. She'd rather die. Another life away from her... Rapunzel dried her eyes. No, she couldn't stand it, not again. She had to face it: surely Regina didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore. That's why she didn’t even look at her the night before, when they were in her house. She knew it! She did well staying in silence for all those years. Now she had ruined everything: Regina didn't want her in her life anymore, so she couldn't protect her. Well, maybe, if she did it in secret... But who was she kidding? If not Snow herself, Emma would surely protect her, and maybe Hook, too. She was safe. She wasn't needed anymore.   
Further tears wetted her smiling face. The time had come, finally. She could go.   
Some step rumors made her jump standing. She dried her face with a hand, then called her magic and made the tears crystallize in her hand. They now were tiny, acuminate frozen splinters, ready to fly to the enemy's eyes. But no enemy appeared in front of her: the first one was Red, with a satisfied smile, then... Regina. Rapunzel's jaw dropped, her eyes widened. Why was she there?   
The former Queen showed the hint of a smile on her beautiful face, and her eyes were glittering. She wasn't angry. Rapunzel began to breathe again, but stopped when the brunette ran to her, and closed her in an embrace, strong and delicate at the same time.  
She couldn't stop her tears. She was feeling so relieved that it hurt. She just couldn't breathe.   
“ Rapunzel! I thought you were in danger!” Regina broke the hug, and yet Rapunzel didn't make a move. She could just stare at her. Regina thought that she was in danger. It meant that she was afraid. For her. She cared of her. She had looked for her! “ The Lost Boys could be around and... But why on earth were you here, in the middle of the forest? Why didn't you told me, at least?”   
But the warrior didn't answer. She was looking right in her eyes, her dark, deep, warm eyes. They had always caught her.   
Regina's gentle and fresh touch on her face made her falter. “ Did you cry?” The brunette was surprised. And worried. And... sorry? Rapunzel sighed. She wasn't sure to have the strength, but she had to ask. It was the only thing to do.  
“ What do you want?”   
Regina frowned, visibly confused. “ W-what?”  
Rapunzel gave a tiny, sad smile. “ What do you want? “ she repeated before explaining: “ Now that you know, I mean. How far do you want me to go?” she asked, trying to erase from her eyes the burning pain she felt between heart and stomach, desperately trying to hold back her tears.  
Regina looked astonished at first. Bloody false hope, she hated it! Everytime Regina had looked at her without suspicion or rage, she felt it, that traitor, powerful feeling. And then, each time, pain came again. So she hated it, she never wanted to feel that slight, liar hope. And so now, during that moment when Regina almost looked pained, she hated herself, and glanced down, because she was sure that she couldn't handle it for the millionth time.   
But the hand was still there, on her cheek. And was pushing. Her Queen was commanding her to watch her. She did it.  
Her dark eyes were shining of bright tears. Her lips were detached, slightly curved down. Rapunzel looked back at her eyes, sinking in the tears that filled them.  
“ Shaya, I don't want you to go away...” she said with broken, low voice, while one tear slid down her left cheek. Rapunzel instinctively put a hand on her face, specular to Regina's position on hers, and stopped the tear. She never stopped looking in her eyes, although the pain that was consuming her was almost unbearable. Regina's hand was covered with her tears.  
“ Please don't cry...” she whispered, unable to truly speak. Regina's eyes widened again. “ You should never...” Rapunzel added, hoping that it would have been enough to make that torture stop. She couldn't stand the sight of Regina's pain. Overall if she was the cause herself.  
Regina froze for a moment, then new tears wetted her face. Rapunzel growled, leaning her forehead against hers, because she had to find a support before she fell down, her face contorted by pain and anger. She had made things worst. She...  
The soft, silky touch on her lips emptied her mind. Lips on hers. Her lips. Rapunzel opened her eyes, because it was impossible. But her face was there, beautifully close. Regina's eyes were closed. Her long eyelashes drew black lines on her face. Rapunzel's heart stopped. It couldn't be true. But she was still there, her lips pressed against hers, even if she had stayed still, frozen by that unforeseen contact... Rapunzel's eyes restarted weeping, so she shut them close. She pushed in turn against those soft lips, her hand that shyly caressed the loved line of Regina's jaw, then plunged into her silky hair, caressing the back of her head, as she always wanted to do. She felt her shiver, but the brunette came closer and opened her mouth, pushing with the tongue against her lips. She found no resistance, though Rapunzel was shuddering for the intensity of her emotions.   
Regina distanced from her. The brunette looked worriedly at her, and caressed her face. Rapunzel almost chocked, so closed her eyes, shivering.   
Her hug was tight. Regina's hand was on her neck, the other arm was around her waist. The younger woman kissed her cheek, pressing her lips on it, almost with desperation. Rapunzel tried to turn her head to watch her, but Regina put up resistance, so she renounced.   
“ I'm sorry...” Regina's lips brushed against her ear when she whispered it. Something exploded inside Rapunzel's chest. She held her tight, hiding her face in her hair, breathing her scent with her eyes shut. She was still shivering, but she was even uncontrollably smiling, in tears.  
“ I love you. “ she whispered in response.

She didn't know she wanted it until she kissed her. No, not wanted. She needed it. When their lips touched Regina felt as if she'd been underwater until that moment, and she could finally breath. And then the warmth that always filled her chest when Shaya looked at her exploded, and became more and more intense, and hurt when she noticed that the warrior was trembling. When she realized what she did to her. How she made her feel, if that strong, brave woman was there, shaking and weeping and hiding her gaze. Her beautiful, loving gaze. And then, those three words, finally spoken, finally heard. Her voice, how it trembled when she said it! It was true. She loved her. And that feeling, warm, intense, known... Could it really be possible? Could she really...?   
She distanced from Rapunzel, and gazed at her. The woman was still weeping, but her eyes, they were so... happy. Regina couldn't help but smile. She took a blonde lock, uncaught by the tress, and moved it behind the warrior's left ear. Rapunzel looked at her as if she had just saved the whole damned world. All that adoration was inappropriate.   
“ Stop looking at me that way!” she said laughing to her. She felt half pleased half embarrassed.   
“ Which way?”   
“ Like I'm better than I really am. “  
Rapunzel unexpectedly chuckled. And she had that look again...” You couldn't be better than this, Regina.” she said, frowned, as if it was obvious. But it wasn't!  
“ Have you stumbled and hit your head in your way here?”   
Rapunzel softly laughed. “ Probably.”  
“ When you two lovebirds have ended gushing, I'd like to go back to work!”   
Regina rolled her eyes. Red. “ Miss Lucas.” she growled, instantly turning towards her. The werewolf was leaning against a tree, her arms crossed on her chest, a grin on her face.   
“ Go, Red. I can get both of us out of here. “ Rapunzel intervened, her fingers, still between her hair, that gently rubbed the back of her head, making sweet shivers run through her spine, impeding her rage to grow. Was it possible? One day she didn't even trusted her, the day before she felt too far from her even at one feet of distance.   
“ Ah, I don't know. You're human.”   
Rapunzel arched one eyebrow. Regina alternated the gaze between the two of them. Red had a challenging look, and Shaya had narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to focus something on the werewolf's face.   
“ Not exactly.” she murmured, still with the same expression. A thought tightened her lips. Rapunzel glanced at Regina, then passed her and stopped before her, hiding Red from her. What did she miss?  
“ Hey, what...?”   
“ But I bet that I'm better than you in finding the way back home.” the warrior continued, ignoring her, and that was the really weird thing. Regina stepped back to watch Red over Rapunzel's shoulder. The werewolf was almost gritting her teeth, her eyes were yellow again, and she looked ready to attack. The former Queen swallowed. She most surely had missed something.  
“ Yes? We'll see, Golden Death. Lemme just try, won't you? Begin to run...” the werewolf grinned, showing half-formed wolfish fangs.  
“ Rapunzel...” Regina murmured, her right hand ready to burn. But the woman ignored her again.  
“ I'm not a menace for you, Child of the Moon.” she said in a such formal tone that it almost scared her.   
A wolfish growl scratched the air. “ You won't be, yes...”  
“ Red.” she continued, appearing incredibly calm. Regina was about to use magic. “ Breath. Think. Listen to me.” That low voice... Regina couldn't tell now who was the scariest of them, the wolf or the warrior.  
Silence. After a while, Regina saw Rapunzel nod once.   
“ Good. Now, tell me, child, do you really want to kill me?”  
Regina watched Red's eyes grow wider, and her breath accelerate. She looked shocked. “ N-no...”   
“ Good. Breathe, Red. Just calm down. Take your time.”   
Other silence. The werewolf's eyes were turning green. It worked!  
“ I'm... I'm sorry, I...” Red began to say, then glanced down, blushing. She tried to leave, but Rapunzel was next to her in a heartbeat, her hand around her right arm. Her eyes were turning yellow again, Regina could see it. Her heartbeat accelerated: Rapunzel could have never defend herself being that close to the wolf.  
“ Don't worry, child, no problem. Just lemme help you.”   
The two gazed at each other for a while, but finally the werewolf glanced down, nodding. Rapunzel visibly sighed in relief.  
“ Alright.” she said, suddenly looking at her. “ Was she nervous today?”   
Regina raised her brows, surprised. “ Yes.”   
“ I wasn't nervous!” Red almost yelled, then widened her eyes, suddenly aware of the truth. “ Oh.”  
Rapunzel sympathetically smiled to her. “ Don't worry. Listen, are there any other werewolves here in Storybrooke?” she asked them both, but Ruby answered.   
“ No, just me.”   
Rapunzel was still looking at her. Regina swallowed. “ Maybe.”   
Red suddenly turned her head to watch her, her eyes yellow. “ Maybe?! What does it means maybe? What the fu...?”  
“ Red!” Rapunzel called her loudly. Red just silently stared at her. “ Did you feel attraction for someone today?”   
The girl immediately looked astonished. “ How come do you...?”  
“ Answer me.”  
“ I'm... I... “ she reddened, and gave Regina a quick look. “ Yes.”  
Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. “ Who?”   
Ruby blushed more. “ Err... Like...Everyone?”   
Everyone? So even she? Even Rapunzel? Regina couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy. Useless and senseless jealousy, as that woman waited for her for almost fifty years. If she wanted to be with the werewolf, she could have done it a million times. Maybe she did...  
Rapunzel frowned. She sighed, then passed a hand through her hair. “ Mh.”   
Regina and Red shared a perplexed gaze. “ What "mh"? Don't "mh"! It's annoyng. “ Ruby bursted out.  
Rapunzel sighed again, then sneered. “ I think you're in heat, Red.”   
Red reddened. “ What?!”  
“ It happens when a male is around. Or, in your case, many of them. You feel attracted by everyone just because you don't know who to focus on, you're... confused. It's not your fault, it's their. They're still hiding from you, but soon they'll reveal.”   
“ What?!”  
Rapunzel chuckled. “ Chill out, Cub, it's all right. You just need a companion.”   
The warrior gave Regina a quick, smiling look. The former Queen repressed a smile.   
“ Well... Fuck!”   
Shaya laughed. “ Aye, you should!”   
The werewolf jokingly hit her on her shoulder. “ Shut up! Ah, fuck you both, I go back. I'll leave you alone, in this forest, actually her fucking forest, so that you two can do what you should have began to do some decades ago. Bye, Royals.” She growled waving nervously her hands before turning and quickly walking away. Regina watched Rapunzel's amused face, her hidden smile. In two seconds the warrior noticed her look, and gazed at her in a weird way.   
“ She's quite... lunatic.” she commented, stifling a laughter.   
Regina did the same. She felt the urge to laugh, she didn't know why. But it was good. “ I noticed.” she said before bursting into laughter. Rapunzel's followed hers, but she stopped in a bit. When Regina did, too, she noticed that the warrior was staring at her with The Gaze. She smiled innerly as something was melting inside her chest.   
Regina made the few steps that were separating them. She looked at Shaya and then chuckled, glancing down.   
“ What?” she asked, frowned.   
Regina gazed at her, slightly smiling. “ You're so damn tall, dear!”  
At first Rapunzel widened her eyes, then she sneered. “ Maybe you're the one that's short.”   
Regina goggled in turn, then slapped her arm. “ That's not fair, Golden Death!” she exclaimed, pretending to be outraged. Rapunzel laughed hard.  
“ Perhaps, but it's true!”  
“ Only from your point of view!”  
“ Oh, I have the best point of view, trust me.” she said, softly, The Gaze again in her eyes. Regina swallowed. Was it even possible that someone could still look at her in that way? Treat her that way? Was it even real? She put her hand on Rapunzel's cheek, making her eyes shine. She was really there, she wasn't a fantasy. How many times did she pretend that Daniel was still with her, in the darkness of the night, and when she stretched her hand towards his face, she only found cold, empty air... Shaya was there, warm, bright... worried.  
“ Hey...” she murmured, taking her face in her hands. How were they warm, and reassuring, and solid. “ I'm here.” she said, as if she was in her mind, listening to her very every thought. She pulled her toward herself, but there was no need to: Regina pushed herself against the warrior, hiding her face against her shoulder, then between it and her neck, hanging on to her back. Shaya folded her in her arms, and kissed her head. Regina never felt safer.   
She'd never wanted to break that hug, but the thought of the Lost Boys just hit her mind.   
“ Shaya, the Lost Boys are here. Well, at least I think they are...”  
The warrior frowned. “ Why?”   
Regina explained it to her. When she finished, the Golden Death was again in front of her, the dangerous gaze that transformed her features.   
A mix of fear and admiration filled her.   
“ I need my sword, then we'll go to the hospital: you'll take Henry home and stay with him, I'll stay with Emma, and I'll protect her.”   
“ No.”   
Rapunzel sighed. “ Why? Regina, I'll be fine...”   
“ Magic is different here, Shaya, you can't protect yourself with it.”  
“ Rumplestiltskin will help me.”  
Regina swallowed. “ The problem stays, he's weaker here. And...”  
Rapunzel arched her eyebrows. “ And?”  
Regina sighed. “ There's one thing you don't know...”  
“ Then tell me.”  
“ Well... Emma's power is growing, but she still can't control it.”   
“ This I know.”   
“ Yes, but when she called my magic....”  
“ Unusual phenomenon, I know.”  
“ Indeed, and she could do it because we're... connected.”  
Shaya frowned. “ Connected?”   
“ Yes. Connected. So, if I'm with her, maybe she'll be safer. I mean, if she could manage to amplify my magic...”   
Rapunzel widened her eyes. “ Absolutely no, Regina! She could kill you!”  
“ No, if I guide her!”  
“ She's like a Minotaur, Regina! She's uncontrollable now! It's too dangerous without some sort of training before...”  
“ We don't have time for this.”  
“ I know! That's why I won't let you do it!”  
Regina sneered. “ And how do you think to impede me to do it?”   
Rapunzel swallowed. She wasn't smiling at all. She looked sad. “ I'll do whatever is needed to protect you, my love. Even take your freedom for a bit.”   
Regina froze. Rapunzel's eyes were so sad that she almost moved, but anger was there, burning low inside her heart, but unextinguished. She clenched her jaw. She couldn't believe that Shaya had said it. She thought she'd never do something like that to her. “ Anyone, anyone else could have said it, but you... How could you? You know, Shaya! You know that this's...” Regina's voice broke. Delusion was so strong that she needed to cry. Rapunzel sighed, glancing down. Regina saw some tears fall heavy from her face. When she rose her eyes, they were a bath of pain.  
“ I can't lose you again...” she whispered with trembling voice. “ Please, Regina...” So much desperation in her eyes... A thought passed in Regina's mind. She frowned.  
“ Shaya... What were you doing here? “  
The warrior's gaze ran away. Regina swallowed hard. “ Shaya...?”  
She looked back at her. Her gaze didn't change, but for a hint of resignation. That was the confirm. Rapunzel gave her a tiny, sad smile. “ A mistake. “ she murmured.   
Regina was breathless. Did she really hurt her that much without even noticing? Monster. Red was right. She swallowed back the tears. “ Y-you... “ But the tears fell. Shaya looked away as if she'd just seen something horrible. Her face was contorted with pain and regret.   
“ No, Regina, I just... After all these years, I just felt bad! I thought you'd never wanted me, that you didn't want me to be here! And I didn't have another place where to go, I didn't want to go anywhere else, where you weren't, so... I just couldn't stand it anymore. I...”   
Speechless, Regina simply stared at Rapunzel. She wanted to rip out her own heart and crash it. As her mother did with Daniel. Regina sighed. “ Love is weakness.” she whispered with a resigned smirk, glancing down. Rapunzel's hand reached her cheek, and gave it a gentle caress. Regina gazed at her.   
“ Love is strength.” she said, frowned. “ When you know what love is.” Shaya gave a tiny, tensed smile.   
“ You wanted to die, Shaya...”  
“ I wanted you to be happy, and I though I was an obstacle to it.”  
Regina goggled. “ There were other ways, Shaya! You... you could have stopped loving me without your heart, or you could procure a potion of forgetting...”  
Shaya faltered. “ I know. But... “ she sighed. “ I don't want to stop loving you, Regina.”   
Regina shook her head. “ Why didn't you tell me that you love me before?” she asked in softer tone. “ I had to come to know it by Snow White, damn it! If you'd told me...”   
“ I was afraid to lose you! That you'd be... disgusted.” Shaya blushed and glanced down. Regina stifled a nervous laugh.   
“ So, again, you suffered for all of these years because you wanted to go on protecting me.”  
Rapunzel glanced at her in a guilty way. As if she was guilty of something! She was a victim, a victim of her love towards her, exactly as Daniel. Regina smirked. “ None should love me, seen the results.”   
Rapunzel somehow looked about to drown. She took her face in her hands, her eyes pleading with a hint of rage. “ Don't even try to think it! I'd never change the past: I'm happy of every single moment of my life I shared with you, even if it was painful. I'd do exactly the same, if I could go back.”  
Regina sadly looked at her. She wasn't enough for that woman. She'd never deserve her. How could she, when she didn't even know how to love? She'd have just killed her if she'd allowed her to love her. Maybe she was right. Her mother was right. She couldn't do this to her. Regina stepped back, and cleared her voice.  
“ Go away.”   
Rapunzel paled and frowned. “ Why?”  
Regina collected each inch of strength she had left. She took a deep breath before speaking. “ I don't want you.” she lied. She felt pain, actual physical pain while she was saying it. She saw Rapunzel falter, get even more pale, and hold the tears. Regina clenched her teeth. Hurt her now to save her. It seemed a good idea before to implement it.   
“ Y-you're lying! I saw your eyes before...”   
“ I'm not lying, mercenary. I'm grateful you saved my son, nothing more. That kiss was... an act of pity. Your reward for your services. I just payed you.” Pain, again. Looking at her face was destructive. Shaya was shattering. She believed her. And it hurted even more, because Shaya never doubted of her words, neither now. She'd never seen her so pale, neither when she was dying. Rapunzel was silently weeping. It was necessary, Regina repeated to herself. It. Was. Necessary.   
“ I don't love you.” she harshly said, her words heavy as stones on her tongue.  
Shaya suddenly fell on her knees, her empty gaze fixed on something in the air next to the ground. Her right hand suddenly grasped her chest, right above the heart. She widened her eyes, tried to breath, then her body crumbled down as an empty sack.


	19. A broken heart can never heal

“ Shaya!” Regina cried out, running to her. She kneeled next to her, calling her name again and again, taking her face in her hands and trying to move it, but it was inert. Shaya looked so fragile now, with the pale, delicate face between her hands, her eyes closed. “ No! Please, Shaya, please...” Regina tried to reanimate her. With all her forces, for many minutes, she tried, crying. But Rapunzel didn't move. “ Please! Shaya...” She gently slapped her face, but nothing happened. Regina crumbled on her, hugging her body, crying on the side of her face. “ I'm sorry...” she sobbed “ I'm so sorry...” Regina caressed her face, looking at it. Even in that moment she was beautiful. She followed the straight line of her nose, then the soft one of her lips. She had to try.   
“ Forgive me.” she whispered on her lips before pressing hers on them. She didn't know for how much she stayed that way. She just waited, but nothing happened. She gave off a desperate cry, hitting a fist on the ground. She looked at her again under the veil of her tears. It couldn't be true. She wanted to save her! She did it to save her! She couldn't be... But there was still one hope left. She furiously rolled up her right sleeve, and put her trembling hand on Rapunzel's chest. “ Please Shaya, don't surrender...” Regina pushed, and quickly reached for her heart. She ripped it off. She almost chocked when she saw it. It was dark, very dark, but a single lighter spot right in the center of it. It was opaque now, not bright as the last time. But wasn't it the thing that had left her open-mouthed: there was a gash that almost teared the heart in two.   
Regina felt about to faint. She looked back at Shaya's face, a blurred pale oval beyond her tears. The former Queen felt all of her strength flow away.   
She did break her heart. 

“ Emma, Emma wait!”  
“ Something happened to Regina, mom, I have to go!”  
“ You're still weak, Em...”  
“ David help me stand up instead of saying bullshit.”  
“ Sounds like a contradiction...” he murmured, but finally helping her. Snow handed her her blue leather jacket with a resigned face.   
“ Emma...”  
“ Let's go.”  
Emma walked out of the room, trying to ignore the dizzinesses. Her head was as a big balloon full of cement, but she clearly felt the pain in her heart, so she had to go. If Regina was... No, she wasn't. If she concentrated she could still feel that thin thread that connected them. She was alive, but she wasn't okay. They had to hurry.  
Fortunately Henry was with Granny, and Mary Margaret had refused to leave her, sending Grumpy to find Rapunzel. Rapunzel... where could she be? Maybe the Lost Boys had used her to catch Regina. Perhaps she was the one with the " something more" inside. Aaargh, stupid Swan! How could she not think of it?   
Emma followed her parents into David's car. He switched it on. “ Where?”   
Emma froze. She had no idea of where to go. “ I don't know.”   
Mary Margaret turned on the seat to watch her. David was looking at her from the rear-view mirror. Emma gazed at her mother. The teacher sighed.  
“ Okay. Em, try to concentrate. Perhaps you can feel something.”   
Emma nodded one, unconvinced, and closed her eyes. She imagined a dark place, with a bright, red spot at the center. That was her heart, she thought. No. Hers was white. And that wasn't simple imagination. She just knew it, as she knew that that one wasn't her heart, but Regina's. Black and red dancing light. She stretched her hand to touch it, and when she did it a shock run through her arm straight to her heart. Suddenly everything became white light. She blinked, blinded. After a bit, dark green silhouettes began to appear. Emma blinked again and again until her sight cleared. She was in a forest. Storybrooke's forest. She watched at her right, seeing a brook, and a little lake. The spring, she suddenly knew, even if she'd never been there.  
Emma made a step back, and she was back in the car. She blinked, focusing her mother. She was calling her name.  
“ Emma? Emma, can you hear me?”  
“ What? Yes, yes...” she muttered. She had a furry tongue, and she felt as if she had just ascended a mountain. “ In the forest... The spring! Tell me that you know where it is...” she added, hopeful. Her mother frowned, but nodded. David had already started up the car.   
“ How do you know...?” he asked, giving her a glance in the mirror.   
“ I...” Emma had to stop to yawn. She was weary. “ I have no fucking idea. Guess I was in Regina's mind. I just saw the forest, then the spring, and I knew that it was the spring even if I don't fucking know that that is the damn spring.”  
Mary Margaret stretched a hand to her, rubbing her leg, the only part of her that she could reach from the front seat. Emma felt immediately better.  
“ Don't worry, it isn't far. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. “  
“ If I could materialize from the fog as Gold and Regina we'd be there right now.”   
Mary Margaret looked disappointedly at her. “ All magic comes with a price, Emma.”  
“ It would be better if it'd come with a prize.”   
Mary Margaret's disappoint grew. “ Emma...”  
She sneered. “ Sorry.”  
“ Don't do it.”   
“ What?”  
“ That grin.”   
“ Why?”  
“ It's... It's Regina's, not yours. “   
Emma did it again. Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and turned. “ Get out of her head, it changes you.”  
Emma shook her head. Maybe Regina was right: Snow would have killed her. “ I don't feel changed, just tired.”   
“ Em, I'm your mother. Believe me if I say that it changes you.”   
Emma snorted. “ You're just conditional on what I said to you.”   
Mary Margaret suddenly turned again to watch her. “ Shouldn't I be? My daughter is going to fuse her mind with a cruel woman, the one who tried to kill me I'd add, and I should keep calm?”   
Emma chuckled and opened her mouth to answer, but her mother's groan stopped her. The Savior arched her eyebrows.   
“ What now?”  
“ You just did it! You just...” Mary Margaret turned, shaking her head, a hand on her forehead. Emma watched questioningly her father, but he narrowed his eyes.  
“ Well, Em...” He stopped the car next to the corner of the forest. Regina's Mercedes was right in front of them. “ That was quite an Evil Queen's chuckle, actually.”   
Emma snorted again and got out of the car. She had to lean on it for a while. Really, she was exhausted.   
“ Em, why don't you wait in the car? We can...”   
“ No, mom, I can do it, don't worry. I just need a minute. “  
Mary Margaret reluctantly nodded. David took the gun.   
“ When you wanna go...” he said, taking a look around. Emma nodded. Yes, go. Hoping that she wouldn't faint in the middle of the forest or, worse, in front of the Lost Boys. She sighed, beginning to walk. Her father preceded her, and Snow was behind her, a knife in her hand. She was protected. What a good feeling.  
They found Regina in short time. They heard her cry from distance, so they ran to her. When they reached her, they all paralyzed.  
“ Rapunzel!” Mary Margaret cried out, running to the body lying on the ground, lifeless. Regina was kneeled beside her, bent on herself. She astonishingly watched Mary try to reanimate Rapunzel. “ What have you done to her?! Why did you kill her?” her mother cried, pointing the knife towards Regina.  
The former Queen stayed still though, her eyes fixed on the body of the warrior, weeping. Her pain reached Emma in intense waves, leaving her breathless. She walked to them.   
“ Mom, let her...” she murmured, but her voice broke. She had locked gaze with Regina. Emma fell on her knees next to her, overwhelmed by her desperation. She began to cry, too.   
“ Save her.” Regina whispered with harsh voice. She handed her something she was keeping with both hands as if it was the most precious and delicate thing of the world. Emma chocked when she realized its nature. Snow yelled.   
Emma helplessly watched Regina. “ I don't know how...”   
Regina paled. “ Please...”   
Emma watched the heart. It was... broken? Was it possible? She put a shivering hand on it. It was lukewarm. It was a horrible sensation, to actually touch a heart, but she had to do it. She had to try, even if she was tired and didn't have an idea of what to do. “ Close your eyes.” came the broken voice of the former Queen. Perhaps she knew what to do. Emma squeezed her eyes.  
“ Clear your mind.”   
“ Emma don't listen to her!”   
Emma ignored her mother, and tried to concentrate. She imagined the black place, as she did before. There was no light there. It was cold, and empty.   
“ No, Emma. You can't reach her now...” Regina's voice was interrupted by a sob. She then sniffed and continued. “ Find me. “ She slightly touched her hand with a finger, and there was like a weak flash in the darkness. “ I know you're tired, but you can do it. Come on, Miss Swan. You're good in tracking people.”   
Emma smiled keeping her eyes shut, knowing that Regina was doing the same. She then focused on her, and found the golden line between their minds. She followed it, and a slight, red light appeared on the horizon of the darkness. She ran to it. Regina's heart was again in front of her. She felt her impatience, and her own. She touched it.   
Emma opened her eyes, and she saw herself, kneeled in front of her. Her eyes were opened, and bright. They emitted a white light, slightly green on the center, in correspondence of her irises.   
“ Regina, am I...”   
“ You're in my body, Emma. Now, let me guide you. “  
Two voices from the same mouth. Emma felt a pressure on her right hand. She let it free, and it lifted, our of her control, and put the hand above the heart, covering it.   
“ Emma, I can't do it alone. We have to heal it. You have to do it.”  
“ How should I...?”  
“ Wish it. Wish it with all of your strength, because your her last hope, Savior. “   
Emma felt Regina's pain again. It was unbearable.   
She watched Rapunzel. She had saved Henry, she had almost died for this. She had saved her mother, also. And she was a good person, and a friend. She wanted her to live. Rapunzel deserved to live.   
Emma felt as if a fluid warmth was running through her veins. She watched her arms, Regina's arms, and saw that her veins were actually bright, as if liquid light was running through them. That warm light flowed to their hands, and filled them with bright dancing shades. It lasted a few seconds, but with each moment that passed Emma was more tired, as if the flow was taking her forces with it.   
Regina moved her right hand when the light disappeared. The heart was healed, but a deep scar crossed it. Emma felt Regina's regret as a stab wound. She stepped back, somehow, and she was in her body again, breathless.  
She watched the former Queen. Her eyes were fixed on the heart. It looked as if she was waiting for something.  
One, two, three seconds. Nothing happened. Regina franticly alternated the gaze between the heart and the body.  
“ Come on! Come on...” she was murmuring between her teeth.   
Emma watched her trying to hold the tears, trying not to fall into pieces. She was about to stretch a hand toward her shoulder when the brunette suddenly moved.  
Regina crawled next to Rapunzel's face. She bent over it, and kissed her. She stayed that way enough to make Emma realize what she was watching.   
So she was right, she did it: she actually broke her heart. It was possible.  
Regina broke the kiss, and leaned back on her knees. She looked at the heart in her hand, then glanced down, letting the arm fall on Rapunzel's body. She sighed, shivering.   
“ I'm so sorry, Shaya... “ she whispered, eying her face. “ I tried... I just wanted to keep you safe... from me.” she said crushing Emma's heart, even because she was still feeling her pain.   
“ You killed her.” Her mother's voice awakened Emma. She looked at her: Snow was weeping, but she was furious.   
“ Mom...”   
David glanced at her, but Snow ignored her.   
“ I love her.” Regina answered, annihilated. Emma moaned, making all of them watch her: she aimed at Rapunzel's heart as, exactly when Regina had spoken, it had begun emitting a weak light. It was incredible!  
Regina goggled at it, and took it with both hand again, treating it as if it was the thinnest gold foil. She moved her face closer to it. “ I love you.” she whispered with trembling voice. The light seemed to explode from the heart. Rapunzel suddenly opened her eyes and rose set, taking a breath as if she had held it till that moment. Emma had the time to see the two of them gaze at each other, their eyes glittering with tears in the heart's light, before fainting.

Everything hurt in her body, but she ignored it. Regina was right in front of her, her heart in her hand. It was bright, she was right. Rapunzel could barely keep her eyes opened.   
Regina was watching her as if she was the most impossible and beautiful thing in the world. And yet she was feeling nothing. Absolutely nothing.   
The former Queen moved her hand closer to her chest, but then stopped. She was sad, now. Conflicted.  
“ I shouldn't do it. I should keep your heart, and so keep you safe.” she said. It was a question.  
Rapunzel sighed. Did she want it? She was tempted, she had to admit it. No more love, no more sufferance. She tried to imagine the rest of her life with that sweet emptiness that she was feeling inside her chest. It wasn't bad. It was amazing! All of her pain had disappeared! Her brother, herself, Regina... nothing hurt anymore. But the rage... it was still there. Blood. She wanted blood, she wanted to feel it, hot and liquid on her hands while she pierced her blade into... She furiously blinked, breathless. She couldn't believe what she just thought. She looked at Regina in disbelief. Rapunzel grabbed her hand and pulled it inside her chest, then coughing for the intense sensation. Warmth, pain, love. Shaya closed her eyes and sighed in relief. When she reopened them, Regina was eying her in confusion, frowned.   
“ What...?”  
“ I...” Shaya swallowed, trying to find back her voice and her bravery. “ I wanted to kill you.” she said, sadly gazing at her.   
“ You probably should. “ the brunette bitterly smiled.  
A thought, a memory of painful words hit her, crunching her heart, probably literally. Shaya narrowed her eyes, in pain. “ But you said that...”   
Regina was fast moving: she took her face in her hands and kissed her. Rapunzel closed her eyes. It was too good to manage to think. The pain faded away. She moved and got closer to Regina, clinging to her jacket. The former Queen broke the kiss just for a second, looking at her eyes. “ I love you.” she said. Rapunzel couldn't help but smile. She said it. She. Said. It. Didn't she?  
“ Say it again.”  
Regina slightly smiled, and gave her a soft kiss before murmuring again those three words. 

“ Emma!” Snow ran to her daughter a second after she fainted. She quickly took her daughter's head, careful not to touch the wound, worried that there could be others, but Emma looked unharmed. She was breathing. She looked asleep, Snow thought.   
“ Is she fine?” David asked, crouched next to her.   
“ David she fainted, it's obvious that she's not fine!”  
“ Magic always comes with a price...” he murmured, making her look at him. Snow felt her cheeks redden for the rage.  
“ I'm not paying again for her mistakes!” she growled pointing at Regina with a hint of her head.  
David leaned a hand on her shoulder. “ Snow, Emma is just tired, she shouldn't even get out of bed...”  
“ Indeed.” she answered, gritting teeth, eyes on Regina. The brunette noticed her gaze only when Snow stood up, fists balled with anger, each muscle of her body impossibly tensed. David's hand was still on her shoulder, but, unusually, it didn't have the power to calm her down.  
As Regina put her eyes on her, Rapunzel did. Rapunzel. How could she still love that woman? Did she know what love is? Because that looked more like an obsession...  
“ Snow White, I see rage in your eyes, but...”   
“ You can't love her. She...”  
“ Snow!” David moved between her and the two women, giving them his back. He put both his hands on her shoulders and bent to look directly in her eyes. “ Snow, calm down! We have to take Emma back to the hospital now...”   
“ Emma wouldn't need any hospital if it wasn't for her!” Snow pushed with all of her forces against David's chest, and he fell down on his back, took out of guard. She refused to feel sorry, and walked towards Regina, who in the meantime had stood up, pointing at the brunette with a finger. “ You almost killed, no, you actually killed Rapunzel and Emma had to pay for your magic again! You...” Her angry words were interrupted by the sudden standing of Rapunzel. Her legs barely held her, but still she was challenging her, protecting Regina with her weak body and her fierce stare.  
“ Shut up.” she just said. Snow felt as if she wasn't able to speak anymore. She goggled at her, opening her mouth to try to speak, but no sound exited from it. Rapunzel tiredly sneered. “ I'm tired of your voice. And of all the shit which it gives sound to.”   
“ Shaya...” Regina's voice, for the first time, sounded uncertain. Snow looked at her: she was half behind Rapunzel, a hand on her arm, but she was looking at her with a worried face. Rapunzel grinned, taking back her attention. Her eyes... Snow stopped breathing looking in them. They were dark abysses again, and bright as the sky at the same time.  
“ Don't worry, love. I would never hurt your step-daughter.”   
Snow gave a start. That was a paradox! Regina defending her from Rapunzel! Regina actually caring of her... No! Rapunzel must had misunderstood. Regina's gaze, though...   
“ I know, just... I don't like it when you use magic.” Regina muttered, glancing down. Rapunzel gazed at the brunette with such a warm look that Snow, for a moment, forgot what was happening. Such sweetness was way too contrasting with the killer look she just gave her. The warrior then glanced back at her, and the knot Snow was experiencing in her throat suddenly disappeared.   
“ Sorry.” Rapunzel said. Snow thought she was talking to her, until she noticed that she was still looking at Regina. The former Queen nodded once, gazing up at the warrior.   
Snow had lost a bit of her anger, but not all of it. She snorted. “ You...” she started, but as Rapunzel suddenly turned to watch her as a wolf would look at a rabbit, she just swallowed.   
“ Me?” she asked, slightly tilting her head. With one eyebrow arched, she pointed at Regina. “ Or her, maybe?”   
Still. She was still as a damn snake. Snow never felt so in danger. Neither David's presence could calm her heart. Snow gripped to her last hope: she moved her eyes on Regina.  
“ Stay away from my daughter.” she said to her. Her voice sounded trembling even at her ears.   
Regina heavily sighed, the shadow of a bitter smile on her lips. “ You know that I can't, Snow.”   
Rage, again. Strong, burning rage. “ Then I'll make you do it.” she growled, forgetting about the warrior until she completed the threat. And until she heard her laugh.   
Snow watched her in disbelief. Rapunzel was actually laughing, leaning on Regina to keep herself standing. She frowned: she knew she wasn't that threatening, but so little to make her laugh even...  
“ Oh, sorry, Princess, sorry but... Ah ah ah! Do you really think that... Ah ah ah!”   
Snow snorted, annoyed. Angry, in truth, and offended. “ What?!” she asked in exasperation.   
She thought that Rapunzel was her friend! How could have she been so blind? She was nothing more than a mercenary, and mercenaries act only for their interest. She saved her only to have the opportunity to fuck Regina, that was the truth. She was just a killer with an obsession for that woman, just as Regina was a murderer who used revenge as excuse. They were crazy. Maybe made one for another, but dangerous as hell. She had to protect Emma and Henry from them. And David. And Red. And Grumpy, and all of the people. Laugh, Rapunzel, laugh. Underestimate me.  
“ Do you really think...” the warrior paused to clear her voice. She was smiling, but there was a dangerous light in her eyes. “ ...that I'd let you hurt her?”   
Snow smiled: she thought that she was invincible, wasn't it? She was about to answer when Regina intervened.  
“ Shaya, stop it. I played this game for a long time, and it leads to nothing, you know it well. Snow...” Her step-mother watched her. She looked bloody worried. Since when Regina showed her emotions? “ David is right, Emma only needs rest: that magic was powerful, almost impossible. She'll sleep for a while, but don't worry, she's fine.”   
Fine? “ Fine?! She fainted! She should be sleeping in her bed, but she's lying in the middle of the forest because you fucking killed the psychopath that loves you!”   
“ What's a psychocat?”   
“ Psychopath. A crazy person, and if you dare calling her this way another time, Snow White...”  
“ You what? You'll kill me? You'll kill David? Or Emma? Or gimme another sleeping curse, Regina? What will you do?” she cried out, almost giving up to the temptation to punch Regina right in the face.   
“ No, idiot! I will smash your annoying face before you can even realize that I moved!”   
Rapunzel suddenly burst into laughter again, contrasting Snow's rage. Snow looked at her shaking her head, barely holding her anger.   
“ Why the fuck are you laughing?!?”   
She shook her head, stifling another laugh, barely glancing at her. She then took Regina's head in her hands and kissed her, making her goggle. The kiss lasted just a few seconds. “ You're beautiful!” she said, smiling widely, before letting Regina's face.   
The former Queen stifled a laughter in turn, then found her demeanor. “ You'd better reevaluate your parent duties and take Emma to the hospital, or I'll do. We shall see her tomorrow. I suggest you to go for a horse ride around nine a.m., so that such inconvenient misunderstandings won't happen again. In the meantime, I suggest you to think. I'm talking to Snow, Charming. You could even be a farmer, but you're a gentleman, too. You're always welcome. “ Regina winked at him. Snow's jaw dropped. She looked at her husband. He was blushing! Snow turned to look at Regina with growing fury, but a purple fog had substituted her and Rapunzel's figures. Snow turned back to watch David, hands on her hips.   
He quickly glanced down and moved closer to Emma. Snow goggled.  
“ Better if we hurry up, she'll be cold...” he said, covering her with his jacket and trying to pick her up.  
“ David...?”  
“ ... And she surely doesn't need a cold, too, so we should really move on...” he was already walking away with his daughter on his arms. Snow followed him with her mind so full of shit that it seemed empty.


	20. Home

Red entered back Granny's with the quiet of a rhino. She jumped the counter and began furiously cleaning the already clean cups while Granny and the clients looked at her with astonished faces.   
“ It's all right, Ruby?” Belle asked from a table next to the counter. She was alone, drinking her tea. Red didn't even notice her presence before she had spoken. She felt a hint of guilt while she was taking a look around: no trace of the three suspects.  
“ Yes, Belle, all right. I'm in heat, Regina is gay, but is all right.”   
Belle goggled. “ You're what?”   
“ In heat. Like a fucking dog.” she blowed up a rebel lock. “ All because of three pigs...” Ruby opened wide her eyes, eyes fixed on nothing.  
“ ...Rubes?” Belle asked after a while, making her blink.   
Red suddenly burst into laughter. Belle frowned.   
“ Ruby, what...?”  
“ The Three fucking Little Pigs!” she exclaimed, pointing a glass toward Belle as if it was a microphone. “ That damned tattoo!” She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, then laughed bitterly. “ I'm gonna end up with one of the Three fucking Little Pigs. Bloody hell!” She almost yelled, rising her hands. She banged the glass on the counter, then walked away, always resembling to a rhino, just a little more furious now.

Regina was smiling. Truly smiling. And she had just called him Archie, didn't she? And then she had thanked him smiling. Real smile, zero mock, zero intimidation. Wow!  
Jiminy looked astonishingly at the woman next to the Mayor. She looked a bit confused, but then she smiled at him.   
“ What?” she asked.   
He arched an eyebrow. “ Err nothing, nothing, I'm sorry. “ Archie adjusted his glasses, trying to smile. Damn, Snow had said the truth when she said that maybe Regina had found love, or, she added smirking, more truthfully love had finally found Regina. And Henry was definitely right, too. “ It's just... “ He cleared his voice. “ It's just that now I have to receive some patients, and I was trying to remember who was the first...” he smiled again. Regina arched an eyebrow, smirking, but nodded.   
“ So we'd better let you to your job. See you soon, Dr. Hopper. “ she greeted him, stretching a hand towards Henry. He immediately grabbed it, but smiling at him.  
“ Bye Archie! Bye Pongo!”   
Jiminy smiled widely to the kid. Henry always made him smile. He was a really good kid. “ Goodbye, Henry. Oh, uhm...” he wanted to say something more, but he didn't know what. Fortunately Pongo barked. He looked gratefully at the dog. “ Yes, exactly what I meant.”   
Archie turned back to watch Henry and Rapunzel laugh, and Regina hide a smile.

“ Did you have fun with Archie?”  
“ Yup! We took Pongo for a walk, then played with him with his frisbee, then had a second breakfast...”   
“ A second breakfast?”   
“ I was hungry! And he still didn't have one.”   
Regina slightly sighed, opening the car door. Rapunzel smiled at her with her eyes from the other side of the vehicle, making her heart skip a couple of beats. “ And then, what have you done?”   
“ We went back to his office, and he made me draw. “   
Regina looked at her son, still standing out of the Mercedes. Draw. She didn't see a drawing of his in years. She sighed again, trying to smile.   
“ Really? Do you have the drawings with you?” she hopefully asked. He nodded.   
“ Yes, in the backpack. Archie liked them, but I'm not sure if he was sincere...”   
He had that adorable suspecting face he made when he was thinking about something. Regina smiled.   
“ Then let me see if he was, won't you?”   
Henry smiled so brightly that Regina stayed breathless for a while. He never smiled that way to her. She saw him do it with Emma, but never with her. She held back the tears and looked forward for the papers her son was pulling out of his backpack. He handed them to her with a contorted face.   
“ I'm a little out of practice, so...”   
Regina shook smiling her head. “ Ah, I'm sure that they're...” Her voice faded away while she watched the colored sheets of paper, one after the other.   
The first one was a rough drawing of Pongo: the poor dog had only two legs, and his eyes were huge, but it radiated so much glee that Regina couldn't help but smile and stifle a laugh.   
She passed the sheet under the little pile.  
The second one portrayed a ship, the Jolly Roger, she recognized. It was in the middle of the sheet, that Henry had totally colored in blue. It was quite artistic.   
The third sheet was a sketch of a fairly known blonde woman with a red jacket. Emma had an arm shorter than the other, and impossibly long legs, but she had a very big smile too. Regina smiled despite the hint of jealousy she was trying to ignore.   
The fourth sheet was all dark. There was a man in a black and purple vortex. It had to be Neal. Regina swallowed, passing to the next drawing.  
Two black figures, and a little boy between them, the jungle sketched around in dark green tones. On the right side of the sheet a large part was visibly erased. Blurry people shapes were barely visible, but none was recognizable.   
The sixth one almost made her choke. It showed Regina herself with a blonde woman at her side, and a little red heart above their heads. At first Regina thought that that was Emma. Blonde hair, sword... but the hair was longer, very longer than Emma's, and the woman was taller than her. Regina glanced at Rapunzel, leaning against the car, her thick tress pressed between her back and the metal. She was letting them their space. Regina ignored the warmth in her chest and looked worriedly at her son, who was guiltily smiling.   
She turned the sheet of paper to let him see it. He smiled more widely and much more guiltily.   
“ Henry, why have you drawn this?”   
He swallowed. “ Because I see it.” he innocently answered.  
Regina sighed. What should she do now? Tell him the truth? Was it the right thing? A relationship when there were so many problems, a relationship with a mercenary, former princess, almost two hundred years old woman... She glimpsed at the woman in question, still turned, then looked at the drawing. Regina looked at herself. She was smiling. Henry drew on her face the same big smile that he drew on Emma's face.   
Regina eyed her son.   
“ Is it a problem for you? Because if it's so I...”   
“ No! It's okay, really! I like her! She's funny! “ he smiled at her.  
Relief. Huge, immense relief. Regina smiled back at him. “ Okay.”   
Regina took the last sheet, trying not to think to the lucky escape.  
It was crowded. Henry was right in the center of the sheet. She and Emma were at his sides, hugging him with one arm. The Charmings were beside Emma, and even Ruby and Archie with Pongo. On the other half of the paper, next to her, there were Shaya, Granny, Belle and Rumple and August. Behind all of them there was the Clock Tower, or so Regina understood by the giant clock Henry drew. The sky was just a fine light blue line on the top of the sheet.   
Regina gazed at her son, handing him the drawings, moved. “ Archie was right, Henry: they're beautiful. “ Henry took back the sheets and put them in the backpack.   
“ Really?”   
“ Yes! We'll frame them and hang them up! Oh, and you can make a surprise to Emma, and give her the one where she's portrayed. She'll be happy. “   
Henry looked at her, frowned. “ Really?”   
“ Sure!” She couldn't help but suddenly hug him. He froze for a second, but then she felt him relax and hug her back, laughing softly. “ Okay! And I could give to Hook the one with the Jolly Roger!”   
Regina ignored the hate she felt towards the pirate for the umpteenth time and distanced a little from Henry to look him in the eyes.   
“ You like him, don't you?”   
Henry smiled. “ He's cool! “   
Regina involuntarily tightened her lips. She couldn't forget what he did to her. She glimpsed at Rapunzel. If she knew, she'd probably kill him, too. Or maybe not. Perhaps she could forgive him, unlike her. Anyhow, it was better for everyone if she would never get to know his role in her kidnapping.   
“ Because he's a pirate?”  
“ Yes!”   
Regina stifled a laugh. He was still a child, she thought with relief. She was afraid of him growing up. He would become a teen, and she had read somewhere that they always hated their parents. And then an adult, that was far more scary. He would grow up, become independent, take again the distances from her, go away. She was happy and terrorized at the same time. She didn't want to lose him again, she loved him so much! And yet she knew that she would let him go, for the same reason. He had to grow up, find someone who loved him and that he loved, and be happy. Or not, even just be happy. That was what mattered, his happiness. His smile, the one he was showing her in that precious moment. “ Well then, give him the drawing. Even though I truly like it, and it would look good in my office, if I'll ever be elected again...”   
Henry frowned. “ Oh well... Sorry, I didn't thought... If you want it...”   
Regina ruffled his hair. “ You drew it, you decide Henry. And don't worry for me, you can always make another, don't you?”   
His face exploded in a smile. “ Sure!”   
Regina nodded once. “ Good. Now let's go home.” she added louder, so that Shaya could hear her.   
They all got into the car. Regina was switching on the car when Henry sticked out between the seats.  
“ Mom?”  
“ Tell me.”  
“ Aren't we going to the hospital?”   
Regina glanced at him by the rearview mirror. “ No sweetheart, Emma is sleeping now. We could try to go tonight, okay?”  
“ Mh, okay.” he nodded, a little deluded.   
Regina looked inside herself, and found no trace of jealousy. She smiled at the road, her house already in sight on the right side of it.  
When she parked, she turned and met Shaya's gaze. Regina immobilized. The warrior was hiding a smile.  
“ What?” Regina asked her, not understanding the reason why she was smiling.  
Shaya shook her head.   
“ I was just... Noticing the difference.”   
The former Queen arched an eyebrow. “ Which difference?”  
“ The one between the first time I saw you and now.”  
Regina swallowed. “ My hair is shorter?” she sneered.  
Rapunzel burst into laughter. “ No, well, aye, but... no.”  
“ I had a better dress.”  
“ Oh, I like this outfit, too.”   
“ I was Queen.”   
“ You're smiling.”   
Regina just stared at her. She knew the answer before she said it, obviously, but she was afraid that she was wrong, that Shaya would have said something different, like that she wasn't evil anymore, or that she was a different person, no more scary, no more... a villain. But Regina was now really realizing that Shaya never, ever saw her as a villain. She wasn't Henry, nor Snow, or Emma. She saw it differently, she always did, and Regina had still to manage to understand her way of thinking. But, whatever it was, it made her feel good.   
She nodded and locked gaze with her, trying to fill hers with what she was feeling, because she was sure that words could have never explained it entirely.   
Somehow she succeeded in doing it, because Rapunzel's eyes wetted. And, as words weren't necessary anymore, they just got out of the car and went home.

Happiness. She could feel its roots digging deep into her chest and over her stomach, catch her soul, keep it warm.   
Henry had just ran upstairs, as usual. They were alone again. She could talk freely.   
“ Regina...”   
The brunette turned to watch her, her hair flipping around her face, frowned in a questioning silence.  
“ ... is he fine?”   
Regina's gaze warmed. She stepped to her, put her hand on her hips and pulled her towards her. Shaya, breathless, just let herself drown in her warm, deep brown eyes.   
“ He's fine, and he's happy of us.”   
Shaya swallowed, sighing in relief. She had understood that Henry was everything for Regina, and so she knew that, if he wasn't at ease with their relationship, she would have ended it. So her face almost ached for the smile she gave.  
“ I'm happy he is.”   
Regina smiled back, but there was something she never saw before in her smile. Was that... lust? “ So am I.” The former Queen kissed her so slowly, the touch of her lips against hers so light to make her moan and grab her nape and pull for more. Shaya felt her smile rub against her lips and kissed her harder, pushing her against the wall she had behind, caressing her neck, her face, her neck again, her...  
Regina's hand stopped hers. The kiss broke. Shaya watched her confusedly, not really able to think.   
“ Not with Henry home. “ she whispered, hints of displeasure and sympathy in her dancing eyes.   
Shaya felt her face redden more. “ Oh, sure, you're right.... S-sorry, I just...” She was about to move on and let her her space, when Regina let her hand slide across her back and pulled the warrior back against herself, almost hugging her, but still looking upward in her eyes.   
“ I forgot it for a moment, too.” she muttered, slightly blushing. Shaya kindly rubbed her thumb against her cheek, closed her eyes and kissed her again. But this time it was soft, sweet, gentle. All she could think about was her lips, her breath, her own heartbeat, so fast, so full. Regina was pressing her body against hers, and she had never felt so good. She was real, right in front of her, against her, warm, solid, willing to go on kissing her. It wasn't a fantasy. Regina wanted her, Regina needed her. Her hair, how silky and soft they were, as her skin, and her lips... Shaya had to stop kissing her. She needed to breath, she needed to calm her heart, or she would have died, probably.   
“ Are you okay, dear?” Regina's hand dried her face. She didn't notice that she was crying again until that moment.  
Rapunzel blinked, trying to focus her face. The brunette was frowned, worried and confused, but when Shaya slightly smiled, lost in admiration of Regina's face, her expression relaxed a little.  
“ Sorry I just can't believe that this is real.” The warrior voice was trembling. Her hand passed through Regina's hair. “ I desired it for so long that...” Her voice faded while she was sinking again in her eyes. The dark hazel of them was so warm in the filtered daylight that Shaya could just stare at it, finally enjoying the sight of the true color of Regina's eyes. They always looked darker than this.   
Regina held a smile.   
“ You should stop staring at me this way, Shaya. “   
The warrior blinked, blushing a bit. “ Why should I? And, overall, how am I supposed to do it? You're gorgeous!”   
Regina smirked. “ Well thank you, dear, but, really, you didn't even notice that Henry is behind you.”   
Shaya opened wide her eyes and turned. The kid gave her a wide smile. She frantically tried to distance from Regina, but the woman grabbed her arm and pulled her next to her.   
“ Is everything fine, sweetheart?” Regina asked him, smiling. He nodded. He had a large book in his hands.  
“ Yes but can I show her this?” he asked to his mother, pointing at Shaya with a hint of his head.   
Regina lifted one eyebrow. “ If you want to see it burn...” she archly said.   
Henry almost hugged the book. “ No! Why?”   
Regina laughed softly. “ She'll hate it.”   
“ But it's just a book!”   
Rapunzel watched Regina's eyebrow lift. She was adorable with that half amused, half surprised smirk. “ Do you really think it?”   
“ Of course! Or you...” Henry vaguely pointed at his mother and shrugged.   
Rapunzel frowned. “ What does that book say?”   
Henry handed it to her, but before she could take it Regina intercepted the movement and grabbed it. “ Nothing important.” she brightly smiled clutching the book.  
Rapunzel crossed her arms. “ Regina...” she said lifting one eyebrow.  
“ What? Really, dear, it isn't important...” the former Queen said, ready to walk away. Shaya's hand stopped her by suddenly leaning against the wall, close to her head. Her smile mirrored her incredulity.   
“ I promise I won't burn Henry's book, Regina. Whatever it says.” she almost laughed, enjoying the relieved sigh that Regina gave, mostly because of the muscles of her neck, that now tensed and now relaxed, while her breasts dangerously lifted toward her. It was enough to distract her.   
“ Promise?” the brunette asked, her eyes narrowed in amusement. Despite the slight wrinkles around her eyes she looked younger with that gaze. Her eyes were dancing with the hidden smile that slightly curved up the angles of her perfect lips. Rapunzel pressed her lips together in a smile.   
“ I promise. “   
Regina handed her the book. Shaya took it and looked at it, giving her a last glance before starting to read.   
The warrior caressed the cover, following the looping lines of the golden title. Once Upon a Time. The beginning of every tale, she thought. She opened the first blank page, and then went to the real first one. There was a portrait on the right. She didn't recognize the man in red riding the white horse. She quickly read the first words, but they were the same as any other tale's. She changed page, and another illustration hit her eyes. Those were Snow White with Prince Charming, she was sure. She glanced at Regina. She smiled almost embarrassedly.  
“ Regina what's this?”   
The brunette pointed out at the book with a hint of her head. “ Go on and you'll see.”   
Shaya reluctantly put her eyes on the book. She furiously leafed through until she saw her. A sword was flying towards her, dressed in the most intimidating black dress she ever had, the terrorized and colored crowd as distant as possible from her. Rapunzel gave a look at the text, and found the words she was looking for: the Evil Queen. She gazed at Regina.  
“ Seriously?”   
“ What? The utter way they depicted my face or the book itself?”  
Shaya narrowed her eyes. “ Neither. Who has been so stupid to throw you a sword?”   
Regina sneered. “ Charming.”   
Rapunzel frowned, stifling a laughter. “ You're far too good, Regina, I would have thrown it back to him! “   
She saw her try to hide a sneer with a swallow, without much success. “ I... Henry, she's just kidding.” she said, giving her a worrying gaze.  
Shaya swallowed hard. She totally forgot the kid. Again. She stroked the nape of her neck, innocently smiling at him. “ Of course I am. “   
The boy gave her a skeptic look. “ Sure. Anyway, you don't have to read it now, you can keep it, I've read it a thousand times, so...” he shrugged.   
Shaya really smiled at him this time. “ Thank you, little Prince. You're generous. You'd make a good king.”   
Regina swallowed, suddenly nervous. “ Aren't you tired, sweetheart? I guess you didn't sleep well in the hospital...?”   
Henry thought about it, then yawned, as if he had to remember that he was tired to actually be it. “ Yes, it's true. “   
Regina, touched, smiled and caressed his cheek. “ Then why don't you go to sleep for a while? I'll wake you up when it's lunch time.”   
He nodded smiling, yawned again and shuffled upstairs. Well, he tried.  
“ Don't drag your feet.” Regina scolded him, but half smiling. He immediately began walking normally. She smiled. “ Good boy.” she muttered to herself, with such a proud and loving gaze toward her son that made Rapunzel want to cry.   
“ Thanks to you, I must suppose.” she said softly.  
Regina turned to look at her in the eyes. She looked almost surprise. No, she actually was bewildered.   
“ What?” the brunette asked. Shaya didn't understand the reason of her astonishment.   
“ I was just saying that... You raised him, isn't it? He's Emma's son, but he always lived with you, is it?”  
Regina nodded, her lips still slightly detached. “ Yes, she... She gave him away for adoption...”   
Rapunzel nodded once, swallowing. “ Well then, you're a good mother. Just this.” she smiled, a bit of embarrass that colored her cheeks. But the smile disappeared when she saw a tear fall from the widened eyes of Regina. “ Whoa, ehy, sorry, what...?”   
The former Queen lips impacted against hers, her right hand pulling Shaya towards her by the warrior's nape, her left hand around her back, grasping it as if she feared that she could disappear at any moment. Rapunzel couldn't move her hands, pressed between the large book and Regina's breasts. Not that she was complaining.   
Regina was kissing her with so much passion that it seemed desperation. Their tongue fought, she sucked her lower lip, bit it, licked it, then pushed again her tongue in her mouth, so furiously and so deeply to almost choke her, their lips so pressed together that Shaya's almost ached. When Regina broke the kiss, they were both breathless. Shaya could barely stand. She was so aroused that it was painful, but she'd have never made pressure on Regina. Henry. Henry was home. They couldn't go on that day. She had waited for all those years, what was a day more? Much. It was damn much.   
“ You should have told me that there was a love spell named "you're a good mother". “ she panted, sneering at her True Love. But there were a few tears on Regina's face. Despite that, she was looking at her so gratefully that she almost forgot them. Shaya was really confused.  
Regina leaned her head against the wall, pressing her lips in a tiny smile, that suddenly bursted into a brief, embarrassed but happy laughter. Shaya melted at that throaty sound. “ It's just that none had ever said it to me. They've always thought the contrary. They've always seen me as the... villain. They still do. “  
Sadness... It immediately awakened Rapunzel's rage. “ They're good people, Regina, but they see only what they wanna see. They're lucky because none really broke them yet, but they just can't understand it, because they didn't experienced it. They need a villain because they didn't realize that each of them has it inside themself. They don't wanna know it, so they blame someone else. It's not what they really think or see, because all of them know Henry, and they all love him. It's right under their eyes that you raised him well. They just don't wanna see it, because you'd be less scary if they'd do, and they had to look themselves in the mirror, and ask themselves what they're capable of, because if such a good mother can kill cold-heartedly, maybe they could do it, too. This if they didn't do it already, in which case is even wor....”   
Regina interrupted her passionate flow of words kissing her again, cupping her face in her hands. After pressing hard her lips against hers to make her stop talking, she softly rubbed them with hers, making their tongues meet, caress, then distance to attire Shaya's in her mouth. The warrior's tongue fell in the trap and Rapunzel felt it being slightly sucked, then released. She moaned and leaned forward, enjoying the rubbing contact with the soft lips of her Queen. She concentrated on them, too smooth to be real, then gently kissed the corner of her mouth, her jaw, her neck, accompanied by a low moan that almost made her come.   
Shaya inspired Regina's scent, her face caressed by her hair, kissed again her neck feeling the former Queen shiver, and even more when she gently bit her earlobe.  
“ Shaya...” came Regina's low voice, throaty as never before. The warrior smiled against her earring.   
“ Aye?” she answered in a low murmur, her lips rubbing against Regina's neck again. The former Queen shivered again, swallowing.   
“ W-we can't...”  
“ I know. I'm not even trying...” Shaya smirked on her cheek, making her snort.  
“ I'm in trouble then.” Regina chuckled turning her head. Their noses slightly touched. All that Rapunzel could see were Regina's eyes, slightly narrowed in an amused and alluring gaze.   
The warrior sneered. “ You have no idea.” 

“ What the hell happened? I've been waiting here for two hours, bloody hell! Where were you? Why didn't you tell me before...?”  
“ Sister, you calm him down or I'll do it.”   
“ Stay still, Grumpy, I...”  
“ Hook, calm down...”  
“ No mate, I won't damn calm down! Swan is unconscious on that damn bed from yesterday and none had the decency to apprise me neither! “   
“ She was awake today, and she's fine, she just...”   
“ But I wanted to know!”   
“ Shut up, pirate! If you'd really care, you wouldn't have stayed all night long drinking rum and scotch and then sleeping all day long in Granny's warehouse. Hugged to a broom. “   
Killian stared at the dwarf, then grimaced at him. “ Better than try to fuck a fairy. “   
The dwarf tried to pounce on him but David stopped him. “ Whoa ehy ehy ehy, calm down, both of you!”   
“ Let me kick his jellyfish ass, brother!” Grumpy growled, struggling against Charming's arms, wrapped around his chest.   
“ Grumpy, please...” Snow wearily intervened, leaning a hand on his shoulder. After a glance at her the dwarf immediately stopped struggling, but he glared at him. Killian grinned.   
“ Hook, stop bothering and just sit there. I'm tired, Emma is... Just shut up, okay? I don't need even your contribution to this shitty situation.”   
Killian looked at the woman. She was really weary. He glanced at David, who was pleadingly eying him. The pirate loudly sighed.   
“ Alright!” he exclaimed, suddenly sitting on the weird chair and taking a sip of rum from his hip flask. “ I'll just wait for her to awake right here.” Snow glared at him. “ In silence.” he added with a grin.   
“ Thank you.” Charming sighed, hugging his wife, although she didn't look exactly in the mood for a hug. Killian, smiling, handed her the flask, careful not to speak. She sighed, then grabbed it and took a long sip from it, under the astonished gaze of her husband. She handed him back the flask.  
“ You're useful, after all.” she groaned, her eyes wetted by the burning liquor.   
The pirate arched an eyebrow. “ Oh, sure, now I'm...” She glared at him again. He sighed, rolling his eyes. “ Right.”   
He eyed the woman on the bed. Her face was relaxed. She was just sleeping, without even dreaming. His eyes lingered on her cheeks, paler than they usually were, then on her gorgeous hair that shined more than every treasure he'd ever seen, even in the weird light that those white tubes emitted.  
Killian could see the slight curves of her body under the blankets. Her breasts, her so kissable belly, her strong and long legs...  
“ Hook.”  
Killian blinked, turning toward the source of the steady voice. He locked gaze with Charming. He didn't look very pleased.   
“ What's up, mate?”   
David frowned. His biceps flitted when he slightly moved his crossed arms. “ I think you know.”   
The pirate grinned. “ I was just checking if she's fine.”   
“ S h e i s f i n e. And you can see it by her face.”  
“ And what a lovely face!”   
“ Indeed.” Charming snarled at him. Hook grinned. Ah, Swan, couldn't she be a little less attractive, devil of a woman?

Belle entered the pawn shop, enjoying the familiar peal. He wasn't there. He had to be in the back.  
“ Is it allowed, Mr. Gold?” she asked loud, already smiling. Her man walked in from the backroom, smiling in turn.  
“ Only if you want to buy something, dearie. “   
She reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “ And if I wanted to steal a kiss from you, instead?”   
He shrugged leaning his hand on her hip. “ Uhm, I guess that I could even find it acceptable, if you give me something in return.”   
Belle opened her mouth and frowned in surprise. “ Oh, so you even want something in return? “   
He sneered nodding. “ Obviously!”  
She snorted. “ And what would this "something" be?”   
He grinned. “ Another kiss.”   
“ You could say it before!” she exclaimed laughing. Belle leaned forward and kissed him.   
“ I thought you would be at the library by now...?” Rumple asked, the confusion that wrinkled his pretty face. She caressed his silky hair.  
“ I'm going there now, but there's something that I wanted to know before I go. And something that I wanted to say to you.”   
He narrowed his eyes and hid an intrigued smirk. “ Then ask and tell, dearie.”   
Belle stifled a laughter. “ Yes, uhm... Well, Ruby is in heat, and she mysteriously talked about the Three Little Pigs, so I was wondering if you knew something about those three... uhm... werewolves, I suppose?”   
The Dark one snorted. “ Werewolves, indeed. Are you worried for your friend?”  
“ Yeah. They're three, aren't they? And she's one... I'm most certainly worried.”   
“ Well, you're instinct has always been good, dearie.” he sneered while he gently rubbed his thumb against her hip. “ They're a dangerous, strong, fierce trio. Three brothers born from two werewolves, raised in the wild forest of our native land, whose parents were brutally murdered, as ordered by our beloved King George. The wise man didn't send a single ulterior soldier when the three little brothers massacred the whole platoon. He instead gave them the whole north side of the Enchanted Forest. Or his part of it, at least. They were only ten, eleven and thirteen years old when they came back from hunting and found their parents in a lake of blood, and the king's men stealing their goods and food.”   
“ Oh my God!”   
“ I know, it's terrible.”   
Belle locked gaze with him. She didn't like the arch way he said it. “ Rumple...”  
“ Sorry, dearie. Bad habits are tough to break.” he guiltily smirked, making her sigh. Belle shook her head with the hint of a smile on her lips.   
“ Yeah, I know...” she muttered glancing down. “ Gah, I absolutely have to warn Ruby of this...”   
“ Yes, you should.” Rumplestiltskin put two fingers under her chin, and gently pushed upward. Belle locked gaze with him again. He looked a little worried. “ Are you fine?” he asked in a murmur. Belle couldn't help but smile at him, and his face immediately relaxed.  
“ Yes, don't worry. I'm just concerned about Ruby.”   
“ Alright then, I'm curious, tell me what you wanted to tell me, now.”   
Belle's smile widened. “ Oh, yeah, right! It's about Regina: Ruby blabbed something about her being gay, so I guess that...”  
“ That she might have seen our Evil Queen and the Golden Death finally kissing.” he sneered.   
Belle goggled out. “ Did you already know?”   
“ No, no. But I knew that it would have happened. I just didn't know when.”   
“ But... Since when did you...?”   
Rumplestiltskin grinned. “ I would say from almost a century.”   
“ And she's her True Love?”  
“ I'm pretty sure that she is, yes.” The Dark One spoke, not Rumple. Even his voice was different when he fell back into past like in that moment. Belle nervously swallowed.  
“ So... But do they know?”   
The Dark One tightened his lips and narrowed his eyes, slightly tilting his head laterally. “ Mh, I don't know, maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I don't care.” he grinned.   
Belle pointed on him her most scowling gaze, and yet she was smiling.  
“ Come on, Rumple, I can see that you care about Shaya. I know you. “   
He hid a thin smile. “ I care about you.” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her again. It was in the terms of the deal, after all, she innerly smiled.

The female was close, Steven could feel her though her scent didn't reach his nostrils yet. He eyed his brothers. They were looking at him with impatient expectation in their amber wolfish eyes. He grinned at them. “ The hunt has begun.” he snarled.


	21. Dark hearts and bright smiles

Headache. Pain every-freaking-where, to be honest. Emma was sure that even her hair was aching. “ Fuck...” she weakly murmured, covering her eyes with a hand. Light. Painful, white light. “ Hell...”   
“ Hey, Swan, I thought you'd have never awakened!”   
Hook. “ Shit.”   
“ Was that an insult?”   
“ Shut the fuck up, Hook, my head is a... oh, shit! Gimme some morphine! “   
“ I could give you something better...”   
“ Shut the fuck up and call Whale.”   
“ As you wish, ma'am.” he sighed. Emma heard him stand up and walk out of the room. She moved her hand: the room was empty. Weird. Where were David and Mary Margaret, and Henry, and Regina? How sweet from them, to leave her with a pirate. Very, very caring. Thank you, family. She was full of joy to have to stand his mocking eyebrows. “ Ah, fuck everything.”   
“ Me too?”   
Whale? Emma opened one eye. Whale. “ Hey, doc, stop this pain because I'm freakin' out.”  
He leaned on her making her open one eye at time, her mouth, somehow studying her by her tongue and her pupils. He stretched a hand above her head, and the light upon her suddenly shut off. The pressure on her forehead sensibly reduced.  
“ Oh, God! Thank you!”   
She could even oped her eyes now, so she saw the doctor smile.  
“ I'm not God yet, but I'm working on it!” Whale winked, but stopped smiling seeing Emma's raised eyebrow. “ Never mind. The only thing that I can do for you is tell you to sleep. You need rest, Emma. There's nothing wrong in your body, you're simply tired. “   
Emma sighed loudly. “ How am I supposed to sleep with this headache?”   
“ I’m taking you some aspirin.” he smiled, gently rubbing her shoulder. Emma tried to smile back at the doctor.  
“ Thanks.”   
As Whale exited the room, Killian took his place beside her. Emma looked at his cute face. He was trying to hide the worry with a smirk.   
“ Maybe some rum could...”   
“ Hook, rum isn't the solution to every problem, ya know?”   
“ Who says it?” he sneered, opportunely taking a sip from his flask. Emma wondered how much liquor that flask could contain. Maybe it was empty from days, and he was only pretending to drink in order to appear manlier and more... pirate. She laughed innerly at the thought.   
“ Ah, caught: the Swan smiled!” he exclaimed, almost making her head implode.  
“ Yeah, I was thinking about your last braincell suiciding itself after that you killed your liver.” she grimaced. He looked only confused.  
“ Braincell? And what has my liver to do with this? You must be more tired than we thought, Swan, you're delirious! “   
“ No, it's science. Ask Whale if you don't believe me.”   
The pirate frowned. “ I'll do.” he muttered, still unconvinced.   
There was a beautiful silence for a while, then Whale came back and handed her a glass full of fizzy water. Emma thanked him and drank it all at once, even because she now realized that she was damn thirsty. She was already feeling better when she collapsed back on the bed.   
“ Let her sleep now. You can come back tomorrow, Killian. Go take a shower, have a dinner, chill out... we can meet at The Rabbit Hole at ten.”   
“ I don't wanna drink tonight.”   
“ Then you won't. I'll teach you to play billiards, it'll be funny!”   
Emma watched them with narrowed eyes. Doctor Frankenstein and Captain Hook were becoming friends. Great.   
“ See you tomorrow, Emma. Sleep well, and if you have problems, just call me.” Whale was telling her. She slightly smiled at him.   
“ Thanks.”   
“ Yeah, goodnight, love.” Killian said winking while walking out the room. Fortunately they closed the door a second after, because Emma realized with horror that she was blushing. That damned sexy wink! She hated him. She really hated Killian Jones.

Moss, soil, water, leaves. Some birds, a frog, a fox, but no people. They weren't in the forest, well, not in that side of it, at least. She was alone, finally! Ruby smiled at the woods.   
“ I won't fucking mate with three big werewolves, not at all. Fuck you, hormones! I was about to jump on Belle, damn you! Have you an idea of what that would have meant? Friendship ended, skin ripped out by the Dark freaking One. No, dear hormones, no, no! Goodbye people, goodbye mating, that's it. Problem: solved. “ she sighed, looking around. “ Hoping that someday they'll go away chasing another she-wolf.” she added in a whisper. “ Maybe I could ask Rapunzel if she   
can convince them to go away. She's pretty dominant, after all.”   
Ruby jumped a fallen tree. “ Gah, I'd only put her in danger. Then Regina would skin me alive. Together with Rumple, he's friend of them both, after all. Friend. As if he could really be friend with someone. I really don't know what Belle sees in him. She's too cute for him... Oh, no, I'm doing it again! Shut up, wolf, shut the fuck up! I don't like you at all, ya know? Horny hell dog. I don't wanna bang Belle, nor Rapunzel, nor, absolutely not Regina and... And why are they all women? Are you a lesbian wolf? What the hell! I thought that I was bi by myself, but seen this, maybe I'm straight and you are gay. As if we were two different things. I'm talking alone as a lunatic! Mpf. Funny, really funny Lucas. Really, really...”  
“ I thought I was the only one talking with myself.”   
Ruby barely held a scream. The man jumped down from a large branch of the tree in front of her. She immediately recognized him: the creepy red haired Little Pig.  
“ Who are you?” she asked him, showing a bravery that she didn't feel. He was damn tall, and with those shoulders he could have been a great football player. The muscles under the t-shirt looked like wild animals themselves. He grinned.  
“ The name's Steven. Nice to meet you, Red.”   
“ How do you know my name?”   
He snorted. “ You're the only female for miles. It'd be weird if I didn't know it.”   
Ruby nervously swallowed. So, there was no possibility to be replaced as "female" for them. Shit.   
“ I don't wanna have sex with you, Steven.” she said, determined. He laughed.  
“ You smell of the contrary.”   
Red blushed. “ I... It's not for you! I feel nothing with you, holy shit! You're the only one I don't want to fuck these days, to be honest. Oh, crap! I said it loud.”   
The werewolf suddenly became alert, and stepped forward, forcing her to step back to keep the distances from his menacing body. “ Really?” he asked, his light blue eyes narrowed, his pupils impossibly dilated. He smelled of man, leather and wolf.   
“ Yes! Now leave me alone. I ate my last boyfriend. It's an advice.” she glared at him, letting her eyes flash yellow. Yet, he didn't stop walking.   
“ He was just a human. I'm like you. You don't have to restrain your nature with me.” His eyes gradually turned amber color, his beard slightly thickened. Red swallowed, feeling her teeth lengthen.  
“ I told you that I feel nothing towards you. “ she made another step back, and hit a tree with her back. Steven came closer, imprisoning her with his arms beside her head, leaning on the old tree. Her heartbeats accelerated so much that she thought her chest would have exploded.  
“ I don't want to hurt you, lady. I'm not that kind of beast, trust me.” he slightly smiled narrowing his eyes. Ruby clenched teeth.  
“ Then let me go.” she growled.  
Steven frowned, not hiding the amusement in his eyes, then stepped back opening his arms.   
“ You're free to go. “ he said half smiling. “ But you're mine.” he added with a smirk. Red showed him her fangs with a snarl.  
“ I'm none's!”   
He softly laughed. “ Tell your wolf.” 

“ Why can't we come with you? You can talk to her even if we're there with you!”   
Shaya smiled at the child. He was bloody stubborn, just as his mothers. “ I need just little time with her, then you'll stay with her all the time that you want, little Prince. Patience, Henry. It's a very important quality.”   
“ But...”   
“ Give your mother the time to take a shower and enjoy some time with you alone.” she said in a whisper, winking to him. He widened his eyes when the understanding hit him. She glanced at Regina, who was in the kitchen putting the washed dishes in the cupboard, knowing that she'd heard them. The woman gave her a brief, grateful gaze.  
“ Oh. Alright.” he said under his breath. “ I didn't think about it... Thanks. “   
She smiled and patted his shoulder. “ Don’t mention it. It's normal, little Prince. You won't understand it until you'll become father.”   
He sighed. “ Mh, guess it's long time, then. I'll mess it up a million times before that.”   
Rapunzel burst into laughter. “ Trust me, time is always little, and your mother knows it: she'll understand.”   
The boy frowned in confusion. “ I didn't understand what you said.”   
Shaya snorted. “ You will. “ She ruffled his hair. “ Go to prepare now.”   
“ I'm ready since three hours!”   
Regina's sweet laughter made them turn to watch her, beautifully leaning on the doorjamb with her arms crossed under her breasts.   
“ But you didn't frame the drawing for Emma yet.”   
He goggled. “ Oh, you think it's better?”   
“ Yes!”   
“ But... Do we have a frame? I mean, we didn't buy it toda...”   
While he was talking, Regina elegantly waved a hand in the air. From the thin purple fog a golden frame appeared, finely inlaid with delicate figures of swans and trees. She handed it to her son with a smile.   
“ You could use this one.”   
Henry took it almost with reverence. It was beautiful indeed, precious. “ Oh. Thanks, mom!”   
Her smile warmed up. “ Let's see if it fits your work.” she encouraged him, tilting her head towards the upper floor. He immediately ran upstairs.  
When Regina turned her head to look at her, Shaya felt the usual warmth fill her chest. The brunette's eyes were filled with joy, finally, though that almost invisible shadow of fear and sadness never left them.   
“ I'd better go now.” she murmured, hypnotized by those brown eyes, now slightly narrowed by a little smile.  
“ Thank you. I... You're so good in talking to him, in making him understand things. I can't do it.”  
The warrior shrugged. “ When you can only read to spend your time, you learn a lot of things about how people think, even if they're just legends or characters of a story. You learn how to think in different ways from yours, and so you can understand better even real people. I used it to kill people, to anticipate their moves, but I think that applying it to these situations is better.” she explained glancing down. When she locked gaze with her love again, Regina was looking at her in total admiration. The surprise hit Shaya as a mace.  
“ Is that the reason why you can do... what you do?”   
Rapunzel frowned. “ What do you mean?”   
“ I mean...” Regina seemed in difficulty, as if she couldn't find the proper words. “ I mean that...” the brunette paused again, looking right in her eyes. She looked lost again. Shaya swallowed back the immediate pain. “ You see the best part of me, even though I am...” Regina glanced down, swallowing hard. “ ... a monster.”   
The rage burned high in Shaya, as it always did. She forced Regina to look at her with her hand, not very delicately this time. Yet, she didn't see a trace of fear in her dark eyes.   
“ How many times will I have to say it to you? You're not a monster! You just put one foot wrong and then you fell, your dress and your face dirtied, you got bruises and scratches, you messed up your hair, so, when you hit the bottom, none could recognize you, neither yourself. But you never enjoyed ripping the roots you clutched at while you were desperately trying to survive. You always stayed the same, that's why you're suffering so much. If you were a monster, Regina, your son wouldn't be here, as Snow White would be long dead.”   
“ I wanted her dead! Why...?”   
“ If you really wanted her dead, she'd be. It isn't so difficult to kill somebody, and you know it! I know that she was just little more than a child when her father died, so you could easily kill an unprotected girl who trusted you. But you didn't, and you know why? Because you're not a monster. Monsters kill children, trust me. I know well.”   
Shaya had to take a deep breath. Even after all that time, Gregory's memory still killed her.   
Regina's eyes were wide open, and wet. “ I... I wanted her to suffer as I did...”   
“ Regina...” Shaya sighed, her gaze now sweetened. She cupped Regina's face with her hands. She wasn't sure to be strong enough, but she had to do it. “ You know that I'm right. Stop lying to yourself. If I were you, if I'd really hated Snow, I'd have made her my personal slave, and humiliated and tortured her every day, healing her wounds with magic, until she'd begged me to kill her, and over. You say that I'm the one who sees the good in you, but perhaps you're the one who sees only the good part of me. There's only one monster in this house. I don't even hate myself for this. I decided who I am decades ago, and I never regretted it, even though I always knew it was wrong. I killed, I tortured, sometimes for revenge, sometimes just for dirty money. It's time you realize who I am, my love. I'll never hide you anything, they've lied to you enough for ten lives, and I'll accept the consequences of this. If you'll be disgusted by me, by my past, I'll understand it. After all, that's why I've never told you anything about my feelings towards you: I thought you deserved something better than me, and I still do, but I'm too weak to let you go, unless you ask me to. “ Shaya had to pause to bite back her tears. Regina looked shocked. The warrior sighed, shivering in pain. She suspected that the woman didn't realize who she was yet, but she secretly hoped the opposite. She inspired deeply and continued. “ You're my True Love, that's why my heart shines in your hands. But my love towards you doesn't have to change your decision: if you're not happy with me, if you're afraid of me, just tell me, and I'll let you go. I just want you to be happy.”   
A thick silence fell painful between them. Shaya left Regina's face, making a step back, too afraid of her next words to look at her.   
“ I don't care.” Regina simply said.  
Shaya eyed her in surprise. “ What?”   
“ I don't care! I know who you are, Shaya I always knew. There's one reason why everybody knew your name in the Enchanted Forest, and it's because of the atrocities you've been able to commit, apparently without a reason. They talked about whole armies murdered by you in one night...”   
“ Well, that was exaggerated...”   
Regina snorted. “ Really? How much? I saw you fight. You killed the Bogeyman in a heartbeat, Shaya. They still fear him, in this world. “   
“ He was overvalued.”   
“ They talked about the worst tortures perpetrated by you...”   
“ That... that was true, indeed...”   
“ They threatened me saying that they'd have sent you to kill me in the slowest way possible!” she said laughing. That magical sound loosened the painful knot in the warrior's heart. “ And I was terrorized at the idea, trust me!”   
Shaya stifled a soft laugh. Even the idea that she could hurt Regina, for George moreover, was ridiculously absurd for her.   
“ You believed them?”   
Regina adorably shrugged, hiding a smile. “ I doubted their words, but I was afraid that the messenger was saying the truth. I mean, if it was true, I was doomed.”   
Rapunzel pressed her lips in a smile. “ I don't know. Maybe you could defeat me. You're better than me with magic. You're better than anyone but Rumplestiltskin, in truth.”   
“ Yes, but you're very faster than me.” Regina said making the step that separated them. “ And I can cast just one spell at time, while you can cast a spell an throw a knife at the same time.” she added, wrapping her arms around her waist, her face so close to Rapunzel's that they breathed each other's voices.  
Shaya's heart suddenly calmed. She looked in her Queen's eyes, in search of fear, disgust, rejection, but she only found warmth.  
“ Or I could kneel before you, asking you to forgive me for who I am, begging you to take the right decision and find happiness, with or without me.” she whispered. She needed an answer, she couldn't just get out of the house with that doubt in her heart. She would have gone crazy. But Regina smiled so sweetly that every fear faded away in that light.  
“ Do you realize that this is exactly what you did?”  
Shaya nodded once. “ I knew what I was doing, what do you think?” she softly laughed.   
Regina arched one eyebrow. “ I could kill you.”   
“ Indeed. One thing I never understood is why you didn't do it.”  
Regina tried to hide a smile, without success. “ I don't know. Perhaps I knew... Perhaps my heart knew the truth.”   
They locked gaze and stayed that way for a while, in silence, simply staring at each other.   
“ So you still want to be with me? Despite... me?” the warrior asked with inner dread, not really hidden.  
Regina smiled. “ I could ask you the same question, but I already know the answer, as you should.”  
“ Aye but... Really, please, I need to hear it. I can't simply think it, I did it for too long, I'm never sure that...”   
“ Yes!” Regina hurried to say, caressing her face. “ Yes.”   
Rapunzel leaned her forehead against hers, closing her eyes, letting a tear slide down.   
“ Thank you.” she whispered with trembling voice. The relief was so immense that it almost hurt. Regina's hand gently stroke the back of her neck, sending shiver through her spine, and making her look at her.   
“ You can't thank me because I love you!” she said with a smile, frowned.   
Shaya couldn't help but smirk at those words. “ I'm the Golden Death and I do whatever the hell I want!” she archly exclaimed, yet still with trembling voice, making her laugh.   
“ Well Golden Death, you're already late, you'd better go to the hospital if you want to thank the Savior.”   
“ Not before I obtain a kiss from my beautiful Queen.” she objected sneering.   
Regina narrowed her eyes in a challenging gaze, then suddenly took her face and pulled it towards hers, pressing her lips against Shaya's.   
“ Just because you said "beautiful".” she said when she let her go, already walking towards the staircase.   
Rapunzel stifled a laugh, her hand on the door handle. “ I love you.” she said, smiling.  
The former Queen smiled back at her, making her heart ache for her beauty. “ I love you too.” 

“ I love you.”   
“ Uh? Yeah, I love you too.”   
“ Hey.” David turned on his right side, his head lifted and leaning on his right hand, the arm bent over the white pillow. “ Are you okay?”   
He watched his wife, well, actually half of her face: the rest of her body was buried under the thick blanket. Her green eyes were fixed on the ceiling in an almost disturbing way. “ Snow?”   
“ Uh? What?”   
She finally locked gaze with him. Her mind was far away, he could see it. He caressed her face, her short hair. He liked it, it didn't hide her beautiful face as the long one. He liked it too, though. Snow had wonderful, silky black hair, perfect to caress, and the sensation of them on his body while they made love was beautiful. Yet, he liked that haircut too. It was rebellious. Just like her.  
“ I asked you if you're okay, but, don't worry, I know you're not. So, next question: what's wrong?”   
Snow swallowed, then sighed. She looked sad. “ I'm afraid, David. I can almost feel it.”   
David frowned in confusion. “ What are you talking about?”   
“ My heart. It's getting darker, hour by hour. It's like if each breath I take, each word I say makes it blacken. Regina was right. She's always been.” she murmured with a dismissed voice, her gaze blurred by dark thoughts. David rubbed his thumb against her cheek, leaning forward.  
“ Hey, you don't even have to think these things. I know you, Snow. You're a good person, you will always be. I see it everyday in your eyes, in the way you move, in your bright smile. And Regina is wrong. She knows nothing about love, about its power.”   
“ I think she knows, David. About dark hearts and bright smiles, she knows better than any of us. And she knows me.” she paused, and he let her think. He couldn't disagree, after all. She had a point. “ I knew her, David. She was innocent. She was pure. I'm afraid... I'm afraid to become like her. If I... “ Snow had started to weep. David moved and hugged her, holding her tight. It killed him to see her in that condition. It had already happened when she had killed Cora, and he thought that she had passed it over, but evidently it wasn't true. They simply had had something more important to do, and it had distracted her for a while. She'd never stopped hating herself.  
“ Shhh, it's fine, love, it's fine...” he whispered to her, hoping with all himself that it would have worked. He really didn't know how to help her if not by being there for her and showing her his love.   
“ It's not!” she wept. “ It will grow, I can't stop it...”   
“ Snow, this isn't true! You're not that kind of person...”  
“ Really?” she sneaked from his hug and locked gaze with him. “ Then why did I let Regina kill her mother?”  
“ I... I... Snow, it was necessary!”  
“ Are you sure about that? Because I'm not, at all!”   
“ She'd have become the Dark One if you didn't stop her! You saved us all! There wasn't time to do anything else! “  
“ But if...” she paused, her empty gaze fixed on nothing. “ If I'd just made Regina put her heart back, without using that candle...”   
“ Rumplestiltskin would have died.” he interrupted her in a sigh.   
She looked at him with despair on her face. “ Maybe Cora could save him...”   
David frowned. “ Maybe? Snow, we couldn't risk! Cora was addicted to power, it was pretty evident! Maybe her heart would have stopped her for a while, but she would have tried again to kill Rumple to have his power.”   
Snow wearily shook her head, weeping. “ Didn't you hear what she said to Regina a second before dying?”   
“ Snow...”  
“ She said: " you would have been enough". She wouldn't have done it again, David. I messed it up. I've become worst than the person I fought for my whole life. She should have killed me the first time she had the possibility to. Everything would...”   
“ Snow!” David almost yelled, unable to contain the anger. “ Do you really mean it? Uh? Because if you do, it means that you wanted your daughter to have never been born! And your grandson! Do you really want it?! To erase every moment lived with them, each moment spent with me? Answer me!” he cried out, startling her.   
With his chest heavy for the rage, he locked gaze with his wife. He didn't recognize her anymore. It wasn't the first time that she wanted to give up, but this one... He couldn't accept it. It was too much. His wife wasn't a coward. He knew that she wasn't.   
“ I just want to be happy.” she whispered weeping, her eyes huge behind the tears.   
David stared at her in disbelief. This couldn't be true. That one wasn't Snow. He didn't marry that woman. He didn't fall in love with that stranger.   
He jumped out of the bed, hurrying to dress up.   
“ David?” he heard her call him with faint, trembling voice. “ David, where're you going?”   
He glanced at her while furiously fastening his belt. “ To see my daughter, as her mother abandoned her once again.”   
He almost felt her heart crack, and so his own, but she had to get aware of what she was doing. Despite his determination, he wasn't able to look again at his destroyed wife. He just left the apartment slamming the door behind him. 

Her body was still aching as hell when she woke up for the third time. She wondered when it would get used to magic, and if it would ever. Her head was a balloon full of broken glass fragments that continuously hit the back of her eyes. She moaned profanities for a while before Regina's voice stopped her.  
“ Language, Miss Swan. “   
Emma opened one eye. The former Mayor was elegantly sitting on the chair next to her bed, clasped hands on her lap, a slight smile on her perfectly made-up face.  
“ Fuck you, Mills. My head is... “ the Savior muttered.  
“ Momma!”   
Emma's heart stopped. Did he just...?  
She lifted her head with difficulty, but she finally managed to see Henry.   
“ What did you just say, kid?”   
He frowned in his adorable way of frowning. “ What? I said...” his voice vanished while his eyes widened. He was looking at Regina with worry.  
Emma eyed the brunette, finding her gaze low, as her shoulders.  
The silence lasted too long for her not to notice it. She eyed them both, the, with a slightly showed surprise, she understood. The former Mayor smiled to their son, but there was a resigned sadness in her eyes. “ It's okay, Henry. She is your mother.” she murmured.  
Emma's eyes followed her swallowing, then glancing down again at Henry's dubious smile.   
The Savior stretched her hand, reaching Regina's. The brunette goggled at her at the contact. Emma smiled at her, holding back the tears as Regina herself was trying to do. She could feel it, her powerful, familiar sense of loss. But she wasn't losing anyone, and she had to tell her. Yet, not a word was spoken. Emma felt the flow of warmth, the warmth she wanted Regina to feel, the one that she herself would have wanted to be able to feel during her childhood, with each foster family they had sent her to. Regina's eyes were fixed on hers, wide open: she was flabbergasted.   
They felt as if there was an explosion of light though there was none, and the neon lights were the only source of light in the room, and the window showed the night of Storybrooke as after each dusk. It lasted only a heartbeat, and happened only for them, but it was enough to warm Regina's heart.   
As the room returned normal at Emma's sight, Regina tried to slip her hands from Emma's, but the blonde tightened her grab on them.  
“ You raised him.” she said with the hint of voice she had left. “ He's our son, Regina, how many times have I to tell you? He will always be our son, not yours, not mine. We both love him and he loves us both, isn't it, kid?” she asked without looking at him, eyes on Regina. His agreement was full of astonishment, but sincere. She involuntarily nodded once. “ Yes, because we're family, whatever my mother says, whatever anyone says.” Emma concluded, swallowing then and heavily leaning back against the pillows. She was exhausted, again. Damned magic, she was beginning to hate it. If she could only stop using it without intent!  
She felt a gentle squeeze on her hand, then another on her shoulder. The Savior turned her head. Regina gave her an embarrassed smile, but Emma felt so much gratefulness from her that she almost chocked.   
“ Sorry. Sometimes I just forget it. Habit, I guess.” she pressed her lips together in a tight smile.   
Emma sighed nodding. Meeting Cora had told her something about Regina's childhood, knowing Rapunzel had told her everything else.   
“ Yeah, I know, I know. Now let me hug my son.” she sneered at her, hoping with all herself that the brunette didn't forget her annoying sassiness. Fortunately the former Mayor stifled a laughter and shook her head.   
Henry basically jumped on her, hugging her tight. He was becoming strong, too strong to hug her neck so tight. “ Kid, I love you, but I love to breath too...”   
“ Sorry, sorry! It's just... I...” he blabbed breaking the stifling hug, blushing. She ruffled his hair.  
“ Don't worry, I was kidding, I'm fine. Hey, I'm not that fragile, ya know? I'm the Savior!” she smiled, throwing him a soft, joking punch on the chest. He laughed softly.   
“ Henry.”  
The kid looked at Regina. She tilted her head towards her bag, on the other chair, next to the door.   
“ You're forgetting something.”   
The kid funnily slapped his forehead, making them laugh. “ Right!”   
He run to the chair while talking, and took something from the black leather bag. “ I... we brought you this! “ he said enthusiastically, handing her a squared, wrapped object. Emma took it, staring for a bit at them both with one eyebrow lifted.  
“ You brought me a present?”   
“ Yes!”   
She focused on Regina. She looked amused, but not in a mocking way. Yet... “ But... Why?” she asked, gazing at her son.  
He shrugged smiling. “ Because we thought you'd like it!”   
Emma looked at Regina, who pointed at the mysterious object with a nod. “ You're supposed to unwrap it now.” she muttered, winking at her.   
She winked. She actually winked at her. Emma swallowed. Something had to be wrong, like, there had to be a new curse, or another dragon to slay, or an ogre somehow had sneaked there from Fairy Tale Land. Or that one wasn't Regina Mills. But that one actually was Regina Mills, her "powers" were almost screaming it.   
The Savior swallowed and slowly unwrapped the object. She screwed up the white and golden paper, finding under it a framed drawing. It depicted her, with her red jacket and a big smile on her face. There was a black writing on the right side, at the bottom. It was Henry's signature. She didn't know why, and felt stupid because of it, but those childish five letters preceded by a little heart brought tears to her eyes.   
“ I drew it, and mom made the frame.” her son said.   
She gazed at his visibly satisfied face, then looked back at the gift. The frame was simply beautiful, wood painted of gold, real gold she suspected, and it was so perfectly inlaid that it almost seemed that the swans on it were dancing with the trees. Apple trees, Emma suddenly realized as she caught sight of little, flawless fruits between the tiny leaves.   
The Savior gazed at the former Queen. The brunette smiled, probably pleased by her amazement.   
“ What... How did you...?”   
“ Magic, dear. Obviously.” she answered smirking.   
“ But it's... I've never seen something like this! It looks like it's moving, but it's still! It's...”   
“ Emma, it's just a frame. I think that the work of art is inside it, not the frame itself.” Regina suggested her with her eyebrows lifted by the slight scolding tone.   
Emma blushed. She felt again as a scholar busted by the teacher.   
“ Yeah, I know well! I was keeping the best for last, killjoy!” she exclaimed, trying to ignore her arched eyebrow. “ Kid, this is awesome! I didn't know you were this good with drawing!”   
Henry frowned. “ Really? D'you like it? You don't have to say it if you don't...”   
“ I love it! Thanks!” she insisted smiling widely. It was the truth, she really loved the gift. She opened her arms, and the kid immediately hugged her again. She rubbed his back with her free hand while continuing to watch the drawing. She really liked it. It was so... happy. And he drew her with really long legs, she liked the thing.   
Emma eyed Regina. She was watching them with the shadow of a smile on her lips. Emma wondered if Henry had drawn her, too. The women locked gaze, and smiled at each other. By the relaxed face of the former Mayor, he probably did. Emma broke the hug and took her risks.   
“ Hey, if you drew something else, I wanna see it! You're an artist!”   
Henry predictably glanced at his adoptive mother, but she frowned smiling.   
“ Are you asking for my permission?” she asked, evidently surprised.  
He nodded once, and she unexpectedly laughed.   
“ You don't have to, Henry! She doesn't even have to ask! Our door is always open for your mother.”   
Emma stared at her, though she tried to hide the surprise.   
Regina snorted. “ You should see your faces...” she murmured. “ You’re so similar…” she added in a lower, thoughtful tone.   
“ Mh, maybe a little. The eyes. “ Emma said eying Henry, trying then to ease the situation. “ But he has your facial expressions. I mean, sometimes I mix you two up, and I don't know who am I talking to anymore. Then you say "Miss Swan", and everything becomes clear again. Don't ever say "Miss Swan", kid. It would be the death of me.”   
The effort to imitate Regina's voice was worth it, because both of them bursted into laughter.  
“ I don't say it that way!” the brunette objected while softly laughing.  
Emma hardly stifled a laughter. “ Oh, you most certainly do!”  
“ When will you come home?” Henry suddenly asked, stopping their laughters.  
Home? What did he mean with home? Regina's house? That was a problem. A big, big problem. A huge problem that they could discuss later on, though, or her head would have exploded. “ Errr, Whale said that I can get out in a couple of days, but I'll just sneak out of here tomorrow when there's the shift change. “ she grinned. He laughed in approval and, obviously, Regina glared at her, but with the hint of a smile on her face.  
“ What? I'm fine!”   
Regina snorted. “ Do what you want, Emma, but warn your mother before if you get hurt or something similar, or this time she will truly kill me.”  
Emma grinned. “ Oh, come on, you're well protected!”   
Emma never saw Regina smile that way. She was radiant. Emma couldn't help but smile back at her.  
“ Did you two talk?” the brunette asked her, obviously referring to Rapunzel. Emma nodded.   
“ Yes, she came here...” she glanced at the clock on the wall. “ ... almost one hour ago. She thanked me like two thousand times, then she left saying that I needed rest and that she wanted to talk with my mother. I'm afraid now, and not for Mary... Snow. “   
Regina sympathetically smirked. “ Do you still have problems with the names?”   
“ I do, too.” Henry intervened.  
Emma eyed Regina. She realized that they had the same, amused, challenging gaze now. She stifled a laughter and waited for the right moment. As Regina opened her mouth, she did too. “ Your genes' influence is always evident, Miss Swan.” she said together with her, but with a mocking tone. There was a little time of forced silence, then all of them bursted into laughter. Emma had to stop soon, though, as her head had begun sending worryingly intense stabs of pain. She moaned and put a hand on her eyes, waiting for the pain to fade away.  
“ You okay, momma?” she heard her son ask. She nodded and smiled. He didn't need further preoccupations.  
“ Yeah, don't worry, just headache.”   
“ You have to sleep, Emma.”   
“ It's what everyone keeps saying, but I tried and it didn't work.” she muttered. The sudden contact on her shoulder unexpectedly surprised her. She gazed at the former Mayor with her eyes narrowed by the apparently never ending pain.  
“ Let me help.” Regina murmured, then waited for her approval. Emma nodded once, and let her hand fall back on the bed. Regina's leaned on her forehead. Emma felt her power thicken the air, then a slight freshness on her head, and suddenly her body totally relaxed. She immediately felt sleepy as the pain disappeared. “ Rest.” was the last caring word she heard before falling asleep again.

Henry watched his natural mother fall asleep under his adoptive mother's spell. Emma looked better now. Her face didn't look so tired anymore, as it did in the last, stressing days: it was relaxed now. He sighed in relief, smiling proudly to his mom. She was great! She made friends with Emma! They always laughed and joked together now instead of fighting. It was awesome!   
Regina was now standing beside the bed and taking the picture from Emma's hand to put it on the little night stand. She then tucked her in, truly surprising her son, before turning and slightly smiling to him in that affectionate way that always made him smile back at her. “ We'd better let her sleep now, sweetheart.”   
“ Can't we stay here for the night?”   
She leaned forward and touched his chin, slightly wrinkling her nose. “ It's forbidden, dear. Dr. Whale let you do it only because... well, to be honest, only because I asked him to.” she sneered, making him laugh with low voice. He didn't want to wake Emma up. His mother smiled widely. Not evil. Not evil at all.   
“ We'll come back tomorrow before and after school, I promise.” she added in a sweeter tone.   
Henry sighed. So, he had to go to school, in the end. Great. “ Okay. “ he finally said.   
He turned to leave the room, but found his grandpa on the door. He looked a little tired, and soaking wet, but he smiled at him. Henry glanced out of the window: a thick rain was falling.   
“ Hey, Henry, here you are.” he said quite enthusiastically.   
“ Shhh, speak quietly grandpa! She just fell asleep!”   
“ Oh.” he just said, blushing a little. He stepped forward, wetting the floor. “ Why are you here? You said you'd come here tomorrow. Why are you here? You shouldn't be here.”   
“ David, are you fine?” Regina asked, one protective hand on Henry's shoulder. The man glanced at her, shivered and then nodded once.   
“ Yeah, sure. Fine.” he said, smiling at Henry as to reassure him. It didn't work. “ Just wet. It suddenly started raining, and I didn't have my umbrella with me, as you can see.” David smirked.  
“ Well...” Regina seemed speechless. Henry alternated his gaze between them, not understanding the reason of their embarrass.  
“ What's the matter?” he asked. The adults shared a look, then both glanced down.   
“ I'm fine, don't worry. Go home, I'll stay here with Emma.” David said quickly, too quickly. Henry was missing something, he knew it, but he couldn't see what.   
“ You'll get ill if you don't...”   
“ I'm fine.” David stated, a little too harshly. Henry frowned.  
“ Oookaaay...” he murmured while walking towards the door, followed by his mother. “ Bye, grandpa.” he said. The man greeted him with a hint of his head.  
“ See you tomorrow.”   
Henry exited the room, but his mother stayed on the door. He gazed at her: she had her "Mayor face". The boy swallowed. He was absolutely missing something. “ Henry, wait for me for a minute out of the room. Please.”   
They locked gaze. She wasn't angry, he decided, but she was serious, as when she had to fix some business issues. He nodded once. “ Okay. I'll wait for you in the waiting room, so that I can sit.”  
She gave him a tight smile. “ Thank you.” she formally said, but then she winked. Yes, she was the Mayor again, but she was still his mom. Henry smiled widely at her and walked towards the waiting room.

“ What do you want now?”   
Charming was drenched, and, for how much it could rain, the short distance from the parking lot to the entrance of the hospital wasn't enough to get that wet. He had obviously walked from the apartment to the hospital despite the rain, so something had happened between him and Snow White. Perhaps they fought. Regina couldn't help but feel a slight inner pleasure at the thought. Nasty habits...  
She waved a hand in the air gathering her power, though. He was annoying and silly as his wife, but they didn't need an ill swordsman with the Lost Boys around.  
As David realized that he was perfectly dry now, his face radically changed. “ Oh. Thank you.”   
“ What could Snow have said to reduce you to this?”   
He sighed angrily. “ None of your business. Now...”   
“ Oh, I guess it's the opposite, dear. It must concern our last meeting, I suppose? “  
“ Regina, leave me with my daughter or...”  
“ Your daughter, indeed. And where's her caring mother?”   
She challenged him with her eyes. He clenched his jaw and balled his fists. He was furious.  
“ She's in her bed, destroying herself as she feels too guilty for having killed that beast that your mother was.” he spat. Regina felt stabs of anger and pleasure together hit her chest. She grinned at the so called "prince".  
“ And so it has to be. Or you want to punish only me for my actions? What is it, your deviated sense of justice? She's as guilty as I am.”   
“ If she's guilty it's only because of you and Cora!”   
“ You'll awake your beloved daughter and half of the patients yelling this way, Charming.” Regina sneered. The thought of a destroyed Snow White pathetically crying out her soul on her bed hadn't left her mind yet. Revenge had never been so sweet. “ She made her choices alone, and she's now realizing it, realizing who she really is. The little child is finally growing up, Charming, deal with it. And she's everything but innocent.” the former Queen concluded with a satisfied, devilish smile before leaving the room and its annihilated standing occupant.


	22. Wolfsbane

“ And he simply let you go?”   
“ Yep.”   
“ Just...that way? You can go, bye.”  
“ Yep.”   
“ But...why?”  
Ruby shrugged, keeping stirring her tea. It was cold by now. Belle put a hand on hers, stopping the movement.   
“ Oh. Sorry. I don't know! But he said that I am his. That was creepy. And annoying. And... Ugh!” she cringed.  
Belle frowned. Ruby watched her face, listening to herself. With relief she found out that she didn't want to bang her friend anymore. The wolf had finally focused on someone, apparently.  
“ Well, Rumple is coming here, maybe he knows what it means.”   
“ I hope. If he doesn't, then who can?”   
Belle gave her a reassuring smile, rubbing her hand. “ My books!” she exclaimed. “ If he knows nothing about it, I'll make some researches. I have a full library to go over with a fine toothcomb!” she enthusiastically said, sipping then from her cup.   
Ruby snorted shaking her head. “ Only you can be so exited to make researches.”  
“ I bet that even Rapunzel would be. Oh, wait, you could ask her too! You said that she understood that you... Well, that there are other werewolves in Storybrooke, and that she knows how to deal with you, so maybe she's well informed. Perhaps she knows what to do.”   
“ Mh, maybe. I'll try...” The door suddenly opened, and three step sounds came to Ruby's ears. She turned and watched Rumplestiltskin walk by, politely greeting Granny on the way to their table.  
“ Miss Lucas, glad to see you again.” he said to Red, smiling while putting his attention on Belle, who had stood up and leaned a hand on his chest. They quickly kissed, and then both of them sat down.   
Ruby smiled to the man. “ Hi. Do you know anything about Steven?”   
Rumplestiltskin gave a little chuckle. “ Straight to the point, Miss Lucas, I appreciate it! No useless and insincere preambles.”   
Ruby smirked, and he sneered at her before continuing. “ Good then. Steven is the elder of the three brothers. He's the leader of the pack, not because of his age, but because of his strength. Many times the brothers have fought for the leadership, and he has always won. He's a dominant, vindictive bastard.”   
“ Rumple!” Belle cheerfully slapped his arm, and he softly laughed at the thing.   
“ What? He is.”   
“ So should I be worried that he said that I'm "his"?” Ruby asked, unable to hide the worrying on her face. If Steven was really that strong, she had no chances to defeat him in a fight. She was totally out of practice with fighting, especially in a wolf's form. Plus, she wasn't that dominant. She never wished for power.  
Rumplestiltskin locked gaze with her, a serious expression to harden his features.   
“ In which context did he said it?”   
“ I... I was in the woods, and he appeared out of nowhere saying " female, you smell like you wanna fuck me, you're mine, ask your wolf if you don't believe me"... Dammit, I said it loud. Sorry.”  
Rumple held a smile. “ No problem. I see it must be irritating to feel defenseless.” A glimpse of something dark passed through his eyes. Belle crossed her fingers with his on the table, and anything dark on his face immediately faded away.  
“ I'm not defenseless!” Red grumbled.   
The Dark One widely smiled. “ Indeed, yet I bet you felt that way with Steven.”  
Ruby swallowed hard and nodded glancing down. “ I think I hate him.”   
Rumple bursted into laughter. “ I think you're just angry for him having shown you your weakness. Anybody would be it.”   
Red sighed, clenching her teeth. He was damn right, and she hated it. When she locked again gaze with him, a sympathetic smile was curving the Dark One's lips. “ So, what do you think? Am I "his"?” she asked showing all of her rage. Rumplestiltskin sneered.  
“ You know, dearie, the Three Little Pigs use to play a game when a "female" is around: they wait until she's alone, kidnap her, and then they release her in the forest to hunt her. The first one who finds her owns her, and he has to protect her from his brothers until he convinces her to... accomplish his will. In the meantime, the other two can do anything to impede it from happening. Even kill the girl. So, dearie, after all, you shouldn't worry for being Steven's, and yet, yes, you should even be quite terrorized.”   
Ruby was speechless. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be real. Were they actually playing with her, with her life? How could they be so pervert?   
“ ... can we do? There must be something we can do to help her!” Belle was almost crying, grabbing Rumplestiltskin's right arm as a child. He glanced at her, but his attention was on the werewolf.   
“ I made a deal with them, once. I can never hurt them or help someone to do it. It was their only request, the smartest one someone has ever asked me. I must admit that Finnegan is quite genial in his own way.”  
“ What... what happens to the girl who accomplishes his will?” Red could barely ask, feeling her eyes filled with tears. She saw no escape, she felt lost. Three strong, male, big werewolves against her, a waitress. She was dead.  
“ I don't know, dearie, I'm sorry. But you could ask him. He won't hurt you from now on, you can be sure. Robert and Finnegan are the ones that you must fear. If you see them, I suggest you to run away as fast as you can.”   
“ And if I never do it? What happens then?”   
Rumplestilskin gave her a deadly look. “ On the next full moon you'll be their dinner.” 

Steven leaned against the wall, his eyes closed for the effort of hearing her voice over the others in the diner, a slight smile between his beard. The female was uselessly trying to find a way to escape from him. Silly. His brothers were just on the other side of the road, and she wanted to run away from him. Fortunately the man was making her reason, or he'd lose her. And he never lost.

Regina huffed putting the umpteenth pile of papers together and then in the dark-grey binder. She lifted it with an irritated puff and put it in the archive, slamming then the metallic door. “ I shouldn't even be here...” she mumbled, sighing. But Belle's total ineptitude was astounding. The office was a disaster! Yet she was a librarian, she thought that she was a tidy person! She was evidently wrong, however. Regina went there with the only purpose to talk to her, and instead she had passed the last two hours trying to put the empty office in order, and still the results weren't exactly satisfying, partly because of the total chaos Miss French had left the place in, partly because, she had to admit it, she was distracted. The town had to be run by someone who was up to it, so not Belle, it was evident, but nowadays that office meant nothing to her. Snow was self-destructing, she didn't need to be more powerful than her anymore. She just wanted to spend time with her son. And with her. Shaya's face was pleasingly haunting her mind, suddenly appearing while she was writing a note, putting the thousandth paper in the folder, or opening a letter. She was always there, as a reassuring, warming presence. And, sometimes, she couldn't help but feel that intense, burning desire for her, and it totally blew her mind. In her whole life, she had never felt that sensation for a woman, never! But still, as those deep blue eyes blinked in her mind, she just wanted to go home and smash her against the damn white wall and rip her clothes off. But, no, she had to do Miss French's job. Regina clenched her teeth. Her gaze flew around in the empty office, falling on the clock on the wall. Almost half past ten. She gave the clock a devilish smile. In less than two hours she'd have been free. She had to eat anyway, didn't she?

“ Wolfsbane!” Belle screamed, making everyone startle in the library.  
“ What?” Archie asked locking gaze with her and settling his glasses on his nose. He closed the book he was reading and went next to her, glancing at the book she was holding.  
“ She can kill them with it! Wolfsbane.” Belle repeated with a wild smile on her face.   
“ It's... It's poisonous, as long as I...”   
“ Yyyeees! Exactly! And it kills werewolves!” She suddenly closed the book and run away screaming “ Follow me, Archie!”   
The therapist, though a little confused, left the book on the table and ran out of the library to reach the girl.   
“ Belle, where are we going?” he screamed. She was a few meters away from him, but she ran faster than he did, so she was quickly distancing even more.  
“ Snow's!”   
“ Couldn't... Couldn't we take the car?” he panted.  
“ Nope! This way's quicker!” 

Someone furiously knocked at her door. Snow ran and fastly opened it, but there wasn't her husband in front of her. Belle rushed inside her apartment blabbing about plants and werewolves, and the sweated, panting psychiatrist awkwardly smiled at her, adjusting the glasses on his nose.   
“ Hey, Snow, is it all fine?” he asked frowning, still standing outside the apartment. Snow White weakly nodded while glancing down. She had to clear her throat before speaking.   
“ Yes, but I was... Going out, so you two should...” she muttered. Belle suddenly stopped talking. She went back, approached the other woman and tried to look her in the eyes without success, as Snow was obstinately looking at the floor.  
“ Whoa, hey, what happened?” The librarian tried to lean a hand on her shoulder, but Snow avoided her, swallowing hard then.  
“ Get out.” she almost growled.   
Archie and Belle shared a perplexed gaze. Snow's irritation grew a little more. She opened more the door and waved her hand as to show them the way out. Belle hesitantly walked out the door, and, before she could say a word, Snow slammed it.  
She then leaned on it, listening to their muted voices. She could breath again only when she heard their steps fade away with the distance. Burning tears wept her face again while the desperation of the absolute nothing that she was feeling filled again her mind, crunching her stomach.

“ Shaya? I'm home.” Regina said out loud while shutting the door behind her. The sound of the TV came to her ears as a lonely answer. She left her jacket on a peg and walked in the living room. Shaya was on the sofa, totally concentrated on the TV, the remote in her hand.   
Regina pressed her lips in an involuntary smile and crossed her arms while observing the warrior.   
“ Shaya.”   
“ Mh?” the blonde muttered, big eyes fixed on the device.   
Regina frowned. Seriously?  
The former queen stepped forward, moving beside the sofa. Shaya barely glanced at her. She instead pointed at the TV with a finger.  
“ W-why do you keep those sprites in that box? I tried to free them, but that glass impeded me to, and they can't even hear me... And what is this?” she asked with her eyes wide opened, showing her the remote. “ If I push these soft things, it makes them disappear, and appear others, different ones. It makes the realms change! W-what is this, Regina?”   
The brunette had to make a great effort to not burst into laughter. She instead sat beside the other woman and took the remote from her hands.  
“ Those are not sprites, dear.” she explained, shutting the tv off. “ Those are people, just like us. They're actors, they play a part in a show, and someone films them, which means that they have a device that captures images, as a painter would do, but many images, one after the other, so that they become a movie. It's like the projection of a memory. You know, when you remember about something, and you see it happening in your mind? Well, that is similar, just it happens in that box, which is called television, TV. Is it clear?”   
Shaya was still staring at her, wide-eyed. She nodded, but then pointed at the remote with a nod.  
“ I guess. And that one?”   
“ This is the remote control. There are many channels, that are not realms, but just... Hufff, this is hard... Let's say that it's like when you close a book and open another. It's shows you a different story, but you can even go back and watch the previous one.”   
“ Uh.” Shaya alternated glances between Regina and the TV. In the end she sighed, leaning on the back of the sofa. “ I think I understood. Yet it is weird.” she murmured, evidently still thinking about it.  
Regina sympathetically smiled at her. “ I know, but, don't worry, you'll get used to such things. You just need time to learn.”  
Shaya gazed at her, giving her a little smile. “ I feel stupid. I'm used to know more than the others do. Here I know nothing.”   
Regina dropped the remote and took her hand, rubbing it with her thumb, smiling to the woman she knew she loved. “ I thought you were a curious person.”   
“ I am, but the amount of things that I have to learn...” the warrior shrugged, sighing in resignation.   
Regina shook her head with a smile, plucked up her courage and moved. She quickly turned towards Rapunzel, lifted her left leg and put it beyond the woman, the right one on her other side. She felt her dress lift over her thighs during the movement. Her hands were at the sides of Shaya's amazed face, laid on the back of the sofa. Regina leaned forward, above Rapunzel's face, her hair cornering them as dark curtains.   
“ Regina...” the warrior whispered, her hands shyly touching her waist, sending light shivers through her skin, under the dress. The brunette slightly smiled locking gaze with her, and put her forefinger on her lips. “ Shush.” she whispered, slowly sliding her finger down over Shaya's chin, then on the soft skin of her throat, feeling her shiver under her body. She continued, sliding over her chest, slowing down while passing between her breasts, and finally stopping against the first button of the skirt. Regina undid it, then passed to the second, slightly touching the bare skin under the fabric, feeling her heartbeat accelerate with Shaya's.  
The warrior's hands lowered on her hips, then slipped on her thighs, at first over the fabric, then sliding under it.   
Regina's breath accelerated as she also let her hands really touch Shaya's body, rubbing against her thin waist, following the soft lines of her tensed abdominals, up towards her chest when the blonde suddenly kissed her, making her moan in surprise, grabbing her buttocks when she did and so making Regina moan again.   
The brunette lifted her hands, finally reaching the silky skin of Shaya's breasts, cupping them in her hands, felling the wonderful softness of their weight, and the beautiful toughness of her nipples.   
The warrior gave an almost desperate groan and kissed her harder, now pulling Regina's panties, stretching them while she made them slid across her thighs.  
Shaya's hand was going back over her inner thigh, making her tense and shiver, when the doorbell rang.  
The women paralyzed, breaking the kiss, locking gaze.  
The doorbell rang again.  
Regina leaned her forehead against Shaya's with an exasperated sigh, shutting her eyes.  
“ Go away, son of a bitch, go away....” she whispered, making Shaya stifle a laughter.  
The doorbell rang again, twice, and four knocks added to its annoying sound.  
“ Rapunzel are you in?”   
Miss French's voice invaded the house even though the door was closed. Regina opened her eyes, one eyebrow arched. She was really beginning to hate that woman.  
“ Is there something I should know?” she asked, pretending to be suspicious.   
Shaya burst into a contained laughter.   
“ Gimme a minute!” she yelled before answering.” Aye, you should know that I'm irremediably attracted to Belle, so I invited her in your house in order to fuck her in your bed, making her scream my name so loud that I wouldn't have had to invent a ridicule excuse in the awkward situation that would have derived from your coming back home earlier, finding so my face between the librarian's thighs.” Shaya said giving her a cheeky grin.  
The amusement that the former queen was feeling was somehow mixed with a hint of jealousy, although she knew that Shaya was just kidding, that she would have never betrayed her. Regina gnashed and took her face in her hand, pressing her finger against the fair skin.  
“ I'm gonna kill you.” she snarled before giving her a quick kiss, causing her chuckle. Regina moved and stood up, straightening her clothes. She had to find a distraction, or she'd have just begun undressing the warrior again.   
The blonde was buttoning up again her skirt while walking towards the door. Regina followed her, tidying her hair. When Shaya opened the door, she was still doing up the last button.  
“ Hi, Belle.” she muttered, finally locking gaze with the girl.  
The librarian looked at her, then at Regina, who gave her a tight smile, then at Rapunzel again.  
“ Did I interrupt something?” she awkwardly asked.  
Regina stepped forward, standing beside the blonde. “ Indeed, Miss French. “ she said in irritation before that Shaya could answer. Regina saw her glance at her in astonishment, but Belle's wild blushing had caught the brunette's attention.   
“ Oh, ehm, I'm sorry, but I need help.”   
“ What happened?” Rapunzel instantly asked. Regina innerly smiled, wondering if there was someone she wouldn't immediately help.   
“ It's about Red, she's in peril. Do you know about the Three Little Pigs?”  
Regina felt the blood flush away from her face. Of course she knew. She knew every single danger of her kingdom, and those three werewolves most surely were one of them. She turned to watch Shaya, and she met her worried gaze.  
“ I don't.” she said.” But, judging from your faces, they're a not so pleasing company.”   
Regina sighed while moving to let Belle in. She locked the door as she entered the mansion.  
“ They're fierce beasts. Three brothers, werewolves, concerned only with their struggle for power. A pack of three leaders. I sincerely don't know how they're still alive.” the brunette explained, alternating her gaze between the two women.  
Belle nodded. “ Have you ever met them?”   
Regina swallowed glancing down. Their memory still made her shiver. She had shown no fear with them, but inside she had been terrorized by the trio. “ Yes. We made a deal, an allegiance.”   
Shaya's right eyebrow lifted. “ You?”   
Regina held a smile. “ I had no choice. The Slayer was hunting them, so they found refuge in my forest. When my soldiers found them, they massacred them, and then they introduced in my palace. We fought, but I was alone, and they... Well, they're the Three Little Pigs. Despite the name, they could destroy an entire army in one evening. They threatened to massacre the whole people, and obviously to kill me, an my father. I even thought about it. I mean, if they'd killed everyone, even Snow White would have died, but I wouldn't have been there to see it. Plus, I didn't want them to massacre the people, and more than anyone my father.” Regina had to pause, overwhelmed by his memory, by what she had done to him. Shaya's fingers crossed with hers, washing away a bit of the pain she was feeling, making her able to continue. She gave her a grateful, tensed smile, then went on. “ They were strong, almost invincible. Almost. They couldn't kill the Slayer, as she was protected by magic, a spell that impeded them to harm her. So they needed a witch. I offered them my protection and a part of the forest in exchange for their promise that no harm would have been done to me, my father or any inhabitant of my kingdom. They accepted, and that's the only reason why I'm still alive.” she concluded with a bitter smile. She hated to feel helpless.  
Belle was green on her face. She looked about to vomit. “ Well, Steven, the older one, is now protecting Ruby from his brothers, and it's okay because he's the stronger one, but he'll protect her only until the next full moon. Then they'll kill her, if she doesn't... mate with him. Or so Rumple said, but I'm afraid that they'll kill her the same, even if she does. “   
“ Who was this Slayer?” Shaya asked to Regina, as ignoring Belle. Her stare was icy, sharp, as if she was planning to kill someone. She probably was.   
Regina sneered. “ Who is. Do you really think that I'd have killed my only possibility to survive to an attack of them? I just imprisoned her.”  
“ Is she here?” Belle astonishingly asked.  
“ Yes.” Regina grinned.   
“ Who is she?” Rapunzel asked again.  
Regina locked gaze with her. “ Her name's Cruella. Cruella de Vil.”


	23. If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will

Belle had never felt so anxious before. She hated that place, its grey walls, the poor light, the cold smell of the loneliness. She was following the authoritarians figures of Regina and Rapunzel, the former queen being the one who leaded them through the dark hallways, wishing with all herself that Rumple was there with her. He didn't even know that she was there, actually: she didn't have the time to tell him.   
Regina turned left, in a darker corridor. Her figure was now illuminated, now immersed into darkness while she walked fast under the distant lights. They turned right, and a narrow hallway accommodated them.  
Regina stopped in front of the only door in the short corridor. The plate at its side titled: de Vil, C.   
Regina eyed Rapunzel. The warrior nodded and waved a hand in the air: a sort of soft flash gradually showed the silhouette of a shield before them. It disappeared in a heartbeat.   
Regina gazed at her. Belle blinked and swallowed, nervous.   
“ If you want to go...” the brunette murmured. Belle shook her head.  
“ No, I'm fine. Open it.” she answered, showing a courage she didn't feel. Do the brave thing...  
Regina nodded, glanced at Rapunzel once again and finally inserted the key in the lock.  
As she turned the key it was like if a hurricane had come into the asylum. Unbearable screeches filled the air, and bangs, explosions, dazzling lights. The shield that Rapunzel had created seemed to hold up to the attack from the dark room.   
They waited. They waited a long time before that the terrifying rumors and blows ended.   
When Belle opened her eyes again, she found out that Regina was beside her, leaning against the wall behind her, waiting. Rapunzel, instead, was standing as an oak tree in front of the door, her left arm bent before her as if she really had a shield in her hand. Cruella de Vil was right in front of the warrior, panting, her skinny body wearied by the attack. She was tall, but stooped, and her skin was shriveled under the light cloth they covered her with. Her white and black messed hair were standing on her head, her hands, more similar to claws, were angrily sliding across the invisible surface of the magic shield, lighting ten light-blue stripes over it. The Slayer hissed at the impassible warrior, showing sharp-pointed teeth under the thin red lips.   
“ Who are you, lady of the shield?” she whispered to Rapunzel. Belle couldn't help but feel a cold shiver shake her body.  
“ The Golden Death.” she answered in a low, growling voice. Another shiver ran through Belle's spine.   
“ Golden Death, Golden Death... Mh, never heard.” she mocked her in a sharp hiss.  
Belle saw Rapunzel's shoulders tense. “ Your problem. Now shut up and listen to your Queen, Slayer.” she barked, moving a little to make place for Regina. She took a deep breath while walking forward.   
“ Cruella.” she formally said.  
The woman growled at her. “ Rrrreginaa...”   
“ Do you remember the Three Little Pigs?”   
At those words the Slayer began to furiously claw the shield, screaming. Regina stayed immobile, just as Rapunzel, patiently waiting for her to finish.  
“ I take it as a "yes".” the brunette said with a smirk as the silence came back in the hallway.  
“ You impeded me to kill them, Regina, and you'll pay for this!” Cruella cried out, punching the shield, lighting the place for the fraction of a second.  
“ You can kill them now.” Regina calmly said.   
The two women silently locked gaze for a while. Cruella was open-mouthed.   
“ Lie!” she finally spat.   
Regina slightly shook her head, a grin on her face. “ Why would I be here then?”   
“ Perhaps you were bored.” the old woman franticly hissed.  
“ Perhaps you're more stupid than I remembered.”  
Cruella sneered. “ We'll see it when you'll be begging me to kill you...”   
She suddenly fell on her knees while speaking. Her mouth was opened in a mute scream, her eyes wide opened, weeping. Belle looked at Regina, but she was doing nothing if not staring in disbelief at Rapunzel. The librarian laid her eyes on her: the warrior's right hand was grasping the air, sparkles of blue light that sprang from her clutching fingers, a fierce expression on her face.   
“ Listen well, Slayer, as this is your only opportunity to gain my sympathy and so stay alive.” the Golden Death said in a low, throaty voice. Her hand tensed a little bit more, and Cruella bent on herself, googling in pain, yet unable to scream. “ Now you're exiting this cell, but you're not free: you'll obey to your Queen's orders, whatever they will be, or you'll deal with me. When the Three Little Pigs will be dead, your fate shall be decided by the Queen. You won't complain any of her words, you won't even think to harm her, or this is the pain you'll experience for the rest of your miserable life.” Rapunzel clenched a little more her hand, and the woman curled up on the floor. She then suddenly relaxed it, letting her breath.  
Shaya sighed, swallowing. She was pale, and sweated. Maybe the magic had tired her, but Belle hoped that that was regret. She remembered what she had read about her, but she hoped that the writers had exaggerated with the cruelties, even though what she had just seen didn't suggest it.  
“ Is everything clear, Slayer?” Rapunzel harshly asked, making Cruella startle and then furiously nod. Belle swallowed the sympathy she was feeling for that woman.  
Regina softly cleared her throat. “ Good.” She clearly forced herself to sneer, but Belle doubted that Cruella could notice it. “ What are we waiting for, then?” she asked with velvety voice, already walking through the hallway, her steps that echoed between the dark walls.   
Rapunzel suggested her with a nod to follow Regina. Belle gave a last glance of sympathy to Cruella, then followed the sound of the former queen's heels.

“ Who are you?” Finnegan snarled, his black eyes studying the thin human standing in front of him. The young man smirked.  
“ The name's Peter, and I'm a friend of yours, trust me.”   
Robert snorted. “ Give us a reason not to kill you, human.” He took a look around, his upper lips curled in a sort of smile to the battery of boys behind Peter.   
Finnegan smirked at his brother, appreciating his threatening voice.  
“ Because I can save your lives.” the boy grinned.  
The two brothers barked out a laughter. “ And who could kill us? The witch? She fears us, human, as anyone else in this land.” Robert said, his fangs already lengthening under his lips.  
“ Yet there is a human that you three fear, isn't it? A certain... Cruella, maybe? I think she said so, yes. Cruella de Vil, if I'm right.”  
Finnegan couldn't contain a loud growl. “ She's long dead, human. You're lying!”  
Peter brightly smiled while tilting his head. “ If you can't believe me then go take a walk in town, and sniff the air.”   
Robert suddenly tore up his shirt, revealing his mutating body, already covered in black hairs. He loudly growled to the boy, showing his fangs. “ Not before having dismembered you, human.” he said with an inhuman voice and a very human sneer.  
Finnegan, although wishing to feel that soft flesh between his fangs, leaned a hand on his brother's shoulder. “ Wait. He's not lying.” he murmured. Robert locked gaze with him. As always, a glance was enough to understand each other's thoughts. Robert nodded once and straightened, but continued to look fiercely at the group of boys.  
“ Peter, right?” Finnegan asked, locking gaze with the leader of the gang. The boy nodded smirking. “ Good. Well, Peter, how on earth could you protect us from the Slayer? Are you a wizard?”   
The human grinned. “ Sort of. I have a powerful weapon, a magic one. I could squash the Slayer as a bug if I'd use it on her.”   
Finnegan listened to the boy's heartbeat while he was talking, but it was calm, and his smell didn't change. Again, he wasn't lying. The werewolf sighed, then widely smiled at the human.   
“ Alright then. What do you want in return for this weapon?”   
“ Finnegan...” Robert grumbled, eyeing him warily. Finn calmed him down with a glance.  
“ Your help. I need to get out of here, I want to go to another realm. This one is weak. I want magic, more magic, I need fairies.” The boy's greedy green eyes were uncomfortably widened. He looked crazy. “ I want to go to the Enchanted Forest.”   
“ And how could we help you? We're werewolves, not portal-jumpers.”   
Peter grinned again. “ True, yet there are many in this town. I need one of them.”   
“ Then take him.”   
“ Her. I would if I could, but she's well protected. They will protect her, I know that they will. I need you to kill them. All of them, but her.”   
The two brothers looked at each other. They nodded at the same time with a slight smile.  
“ Kill the Slayer and we'll do it.” Robert said.   
Peter smiled at him. “ Deal?”  
Robert sneered. “ Deal.”  
“ Who's the survivor?” Finnegan asked.   
Peter leaned his big eyes on him, grinning.  
“ Emma.” he whispered.  
Finnegan narrowed his eyes, thinking. He recollected the smell of each person in town, trying to remember which name they'd responded to. “ Emma... The Savior?” he asked.  
Peter nodded once. “ Exactly.” he said.   
Finnegan snorted. “ Good. When are we attacking? We need the time to tell Steven about this. He won't be pleased now that he has found the female. “   
“ Alright then, talk to him. Remember to tell him that Cruella is by their side, in the remote case that he refuses to be with us.”  
Finnegan gave a low growl in response. “ He won't.”  
“ Good. Oh, and, Finnegan?”  
The werewolf locked gaze with the boy. Peter gave him a brief smirk. “ Leave the pirate alive, also. He's mine.” 

The phone's insistent ring had woken her up. Emma grabbed the cellphone and answered to it. “ Hope it's important.” she muttered.  
“ You know about that idea of yours to sneak out of the hospital, Miss Swan?”   
“ Regina? What...?”  
“ Put it into practice right now and come at my house. Collect Henry from school in your way here, pass at the sheriff's office and take all of the weapons you can bring with you. I'm sure your father will help you. “ Regina's voice lowered and distanced a little. “ What? Oh, right.” she asked before talking back to her. “ Pick Miss Lucas up also. Be careful.” she quickly added before closing the conversation.  
Emma looked astonishingly at her phone. Weapons and Henry together. All of the weapons she could take. What the hell was happening?!  
The Savior stood up and began to dress up. David got into the room with two coffees in his hands while she was buttoning her blue jeans.  
“ Hey, Em, what...?”  
“ We gotta go. Henry, weapons, Ruby. We need mom's jeep.”  
“ What?”   
“ Don't ask, dad.” she said wearing her jacket. “ I don't know what's happening, but if Regina says that we have to take weapons, it means that we're in deep shit.” Emma flew out of the room, ignoring the confused stare that Whale gave her, and almost ran out of the hospital, followed by the sound of her yelled name and by David's heavy steps.  
“ The car's at Snow's!” he said as she stopped in the hospital's parking lot.  
“ What? Holy shit!” Emma exclaimed, passing a hand through her hair. “ Well, call her and tell her to come and pick us up!” she said nervously waving her hand in the air. At David's expression she frowned. “ What? Have you two fallen out?”   
He loudly sighed. “ Yep. “  
She sighed in turn and shook her head while taking her phone from her pocket. “ Well, she could even be mad at you, but I don't think she's at me...” she mumbled while dialing her mother's number.   
“ Em, she need a little of time to reflect upon... stuff. I don't think that...”   
Emma put the phone against her ear, waiting for her mother to answer. “ I don't give a shit! Henry could be in danger and...”   
“ Em?”   
“ Mom! I need help.”   
“ What? Are you fine? What..?”   
“ I'm okay, don't worry. It's about... Well, I don't know actually, but I need your car and I need it now. Can you pick us up at the hospital?”   
Silence. Emma could hear her distorted breaths, heavy, worried breaths. “ Mom.” she murmured.   
Snow answered after what seemed an eternity. “ I'm coming.” she quickly said before hanging up.

“ It must be by chance that this "Peter" has shown up just as I found the female...” Steven mockingly said, slightly shaking his head.   
“ Steve, you know that we're not lying. Don't be childish. “   
He looked in his brother's green eyes. He wasn't lying, it was true, yet he could be hiding something. “ Well maybe you knew him before. Perhaps you had an accord.”   
Finnegan tightened his lips. His heartbeat accelerated, his pupils dilated, and so his nostrils. He was angry. “ Are you accusing us of such a coward action?” he calmly asked, though his voice was already throaty, almost a growl.  
Steven let his eyes show their wolfish color. “ You didn't deny it.”   
Robert actually snarled at him, stepping before Finnegan.  
“ Our honor won't be stained, not even by our own brother!” he barked out, showing the long fangs in his still human mouth.   
The younger of them leaned a hand on Robert's shoulder, making him step back.  
“ We don't need this now, brothers, not with the Slayer around. We start this battle tomorrow, and we'll be free before the dusk. They're nothing to us. They're nothing confronted to us. They're all already dead.” he sneered.  
Steven sniffed the air. Lies weren't making it stink, but could he trust his brothers? Finnegan, overall? No. Absolutely not.  
“ Nothing? And the female? She's something to me. She's mine.”  
Robert sneered. “ She isn't yet, the full moon hasn't raised.”   
Steven lowly growled to him. “ Indeed. You can see by yourself that you behavior is suspicious, then.”   
“ Only with blood I can take her. Tricks are for the weak humans.” he objected, his eyes of a deep, intense yellow now.   
“ Or weak wolves.” Steven grinned, making his brother snarl again. Finnegan held him once again.  
“ Brothers! Stop this silly fight, we need to be united now! There's no time for this if we want to survive. The boy was saying the truth, I smelled it, I saw it: Cruella is here, the Queen lied to us!” The color of his eyes lightened for a second, showing the green-yellow eyes of the wolf.   
“ She'll pay for this. “ Robert said in a growl.   
Steven looked at his brothers. They weren't lying. They were his brothers. Maybe he could trust them, after all. He gave a smirk.  
“ Slowly.” he muttered. 

“ Momma? Whatcha doing here?”   
Emma pulled Henry by his hand, barely greeting the perplexed substitute teacher. “ Bye, thank you! Let's go kid.”   
Henry followed her, well, actually he let her drag him out of the class. David was there, waiting for them.  
“ Any problem?” he asked while they surpassed him and quickly walked towards the exit.  
“ No. Let's go, Henry, come on!”   
“ Are you okay?” his grandpa asked him as he reached them. Henry nodded.   
“ Yes but... what's happening?”   
He leaned a hand on his shoulder and opened his mouth to answer to him, but Emma was faster speaking. “ Dunno, but your mom thinks that we're in trouble, so we'd better listen to her.”   
They all got into Mary Margaret's car, he and Charming on the posterior seats and Emma next to Snow, who immediately started the car.  
The silence awkwardly stayed between them for five minutes, interrupted solely by the engine's roar.  
“ Mom, the office is...” Emma was saying when Snow suddenly turned the wheel, making everyone slid on the right side of the car.   
“ ...there.” Emma completed the sentence.  
“ Henry, fasten your belt.” David whispered to him.  
Ten minutes later Mary Margaret decelerated a little, then harshly stopped.   
Emma turned on the seat to look at Henry.  
“ Kid, stay here with your Grandma. It will take a minute.” she said before getting out of the car, followed by David. He watched them enter the Sheriff's office. The silence fell in the car as a thick heavy air that barely let him breathe. He glanced at his grandmother. She was obstinately looking outside her window. He sneaked between the anterior seats, smiling at her. She barely gave him a glance.  
“ Hey.” he said.  
“ Hey.” she answered with a hoarse voice. “ Everything will be fine.” she murmured, still looking outside her window. “ You'll see, we'll fix everything. Don't worry.” Her voice trembled with the last words. Henry sighed and leaned back on his seat. She and David had argued, that was clear, and she was sad. He didn't like it when she was sad, but what could he do?  
“ I know.” he said, smiling again. As he hoped, she looked at him by the rear-view mirror. “ I believe in you.” he added. He had the time to see her eyes fill with tears before she slightly smiled and turned again toward her left, hiding her face.

Red exited the diner, huffing in the effort to drag the heavy garbage bag to the garbage pail in the alley behind Granny's. It should have been Rapunzel's job, but she was going crazy into the diner, she needed some air, and that one was the only excuse she had found to go out. She threw the bag in the bucket and turned to slowly walk back to Granny's, but she had to stifle a scream as the imposing figure filled her visual field.   
“ Oh God! W-what are you doing here? You can't come here this way, I...”   
“ Red, listen to me, please. I mean no harm, I swear.” Steven said, his hands lifted towards her, opened, as to show her that he was harmless, though he, big bad reddish werewolf, obviously wasn't.  
“ Ah-ah, sure, so you don't wanna like rape me or something...”   
“ No!” he exclaimed. He looked sincere, really, but she knew the truth. Maybe he didn't see it that way, but it definitely was that way. “ It isn't so... However, this doesn't matter now. You have a bigger problem than me.”   
Red arched an eyebrow. “ Bigger than you? Really? What is that? The apocalypse?”   
Steven swallowed, glancing around with a worried face. Or scared, more than simply worried. Ruby felt her hairs stand up on end. Her sarcastic smile disappeared as the intense danger feeling began to fill her heart.  
The werewolf locked gaze with her again, and suddenly took her by her shoulder. It didn't hurt, but it scared her, even because his eyes were wide opened and he looked really worried. “ Listen well, girl, or you and anyone else in this town won't survive till the next sunset. The Lost Boys and my brothers are preparing an attack to all of you to get the Savior and make her open a portal to the Enchanted Forest. They want all of you dead. I can protect only you, Red. I can't betray my family. But you can warn the others, so that you'll be able to fight, at least. I don't want a massacre, trust me. I don't want this battle neither, but... However, tell the Queen that they want her dead, Finnegan wants her dead, which means that she'll die, but she can protect her son, he's innocent. They won't touch him if he doesn't join the battle. We won't kill any child. Tell them this, and tell the pirate that Peter wants him. It's everything I know. I have to go now. Run, you don't have much time, we'll attack at tomorrow's sunrise. Run!” he exclaimed in an almost desperate whisper before running away with an inhuman speed.

“ I need my personal effects if you want me to kill those beasts.” Cruella tightly said to Regina. “ Your Majesty.” she added in a grumble at Rapunzel's glare. The warrior slightly curled her upper lip in a satisfied sneer.   
“ I know, dear. I'm taking them. “ the brunette calmly answered while taking off her blazer, smiling at the Slayer. She then began to climb the stairs. Shaya could do nothing but admire her perfect body, the black clothes clung to it. “ Wait a minute.” Regina added before disappearing upstairs. Her heels resounded above their heads.  
“ Rumple isn't coming. He said he can't, that it's "forbidden" to him. Something he signed, I guess.” Belle muttered pocketing her cell phone. Shaya locked gaze with her for a second before that she hastily glanced down. The warrior frowned. Was that fear?  
Cruella hissing voice took her attention away from the librarian. “ Golden Death... Because of your hair, I suppose?”   
Shaya narrowed her eyes. Seriously? She wanted to converse? “ Indeed.” she warily answered. Something in Cruella's expression was alerting her senses.  
The slayer snorted. “ How predictable... I bet some rude soldier gave you that name.”   
Shaya couldn't help but give a mocking grin: she couldn't be more wrong. “ Though your logic is predictably sensed, no, it wasn't a rude soldier, nor a peasant or whoever you'd think incapable of inventive: but rather a king, so scared of me to pee in his regal pants. Before I cut his miserably empty head, he yelled " here's the Golden Death that takes my life". He was right, after all, yet, as you said, totally predictable. As many others like him, the most educated, yet the most frozen minds, closed between the thing that they had diligently learned, but never questioned. The nobles were the ones who expectedly gave me names as " Whore of the Devil", " Fair Death", that one was a rich poet in truth, or " Blonde Demon", what a novel idea was it, uh?, and never questioned why I was there to kill them, who of their numerous enemies could have sent me. They watched me fight from their windows, kill their incompetent guards, and they were sure that the Hell had sent me. Poor idiots! I killed them more for contempt that for money. The peasants, instead, them and the rude soldiers even more, they asked me why, at least. And only rarely they died without dignity, peeing in their pants, no: they fought, or asked me to die standing, proudly watching me in the eyes. And you know what? They laughed at my name. They laughed, and I laughed with them, and I shed tears when I killed them, if I decided to kill them instead of letting them run away, because they were worth living and ruling their lands far more than their despicable kings and queens.”   
An astonished silence followed her words. She deeply inhaled, sighing then while clenching her teeth. “ So, Cruella, what are you gonna do? Will you laugh at my name, or will you tremble at its sound?” Shaya finally asked her, a slight sneer curving her lips. The Slayer burst into a hissing, disturbing laugh. Rapunzel chuckled at it, eyeing Regina, standing still at the base of the staircase, a hand on the handrail and the other one hanging an old leather bag. She looked impressed, amused and confused at the same time, and beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Shaya slightly smiled at her. Regina frowned in a questioning expression, hiding a smile. Rapunzel shrugged, pressing her lips together. Regina visibly held a laughter at her face.  
“ So you used to let them go?” Belle asked to Shaya, her smart gaze studying her eyes.   
“ Sometimes.” she nodded.  
“ And... What did you say to who payed you?”   
Rapunzel glanced at Regina while laughing, who was hardly stifling a laughter, shaking her head.  
“ Say? I obviously killed them, Belle. What else could I do? Run away? Tell them that I was too sensitive to kill the poor man who didn't want to sell his land? Or the girl who had managed to run away before they could rape her, or to kill the newborn bastard?” Shaya asked opening her arms and shrugging.   
“ But... Didn't you know before? I mean, didn't you ask them why they wanted those people dead?”  
“ A mercenary doesn't ask, Belle, who would ever pay a possible informer? I asked directly to the targets.”  
“ And if they lied to you? If you let them live, and killed the...”  
“ One can't lie with a Truth Spell in their throat.”  
Belle was about to say something in response when what sounded like an ogre knocked at the door.   
Regina glanced at Rapunzel. “ Watch her.” she said, nodding towards Cruella. Shaya gave a quick nod, eyeing then the Slayer while Regina walked to the hall and opened the door, letting in the suspected ogre, also known as Emma, holding hands with her confused son, and the two very silent Charmings, followed by a very pale Red.   
“ Regina, we have a big, huge, immense problem!” Emma anxiously said. Shaya listened in.  
“ I know, the...”  
“ No, you can't know it, Steven has just said it to Ruby.” she interrupted her, frowned. Regina frowned in turn, inciting her to go on. “ You were right, the Lost Boys are here, and they want me to open a portal to the Enchanted Forest, and they want you dead.”   
“ Finnegan wants you dead, not the Lost Boys.” Red corrected the Savior. She shrugged.  
“ Well, yes, it's the same...”  
“ It isn't.” Regina muttered, leaving Emma open-mouthed. Shaya felt cold shivers of fear shake her heart. Regina shared a glance with her, then turned and bitterly smiled at her son, caressing his cheek. “ Finnegan's way more dangerous than a group of mad children.”   
“ Regina.” Shaya murmured her name, making her turn to look at her. She smiled at the brunette, trying to reassure her. “ We've been through worse. That asshole is nothing to us. “ she said, still smiling. The worrying in the brunette's eyes didn't fade away though.  
“ I know what you're doing, Shaya, so don't. I know that you can't defeat a werewolf. We both know what will happen.”   
“ Aye.” Shaya agreed “ The Slayer will kill that son of a bitch and his pervert brothers and we'll take care of the Lost Boys. Then we'll party at Granny's and Belle will write a story about us. That's all.”   
She shared a look with the librarian, who slightly smiled at her. “ It would be a very large, intricate book.”   
Shaya smiled. “ Well then, I love books. “ she said to her before gazing back at Regina. They stared at each other for a while, and everyone respected that silent speech. “ We'll be fine.” Rapunzel finally said.  
Regina sighed before glancing down, slightly nodding. Shaya watched her turn and begin to talk with Emma with a painful knot clenching her throat. It didn't work, Regina still believed that that Finnegan would have killed her. Well, that was not going to happen. 

Emma looked away from Rapunzel only to set her eyes on Regina again. She had to force herself not to stare at the creepy thin woman next to the warrior, her gaunt face with those glittering eyes, her mouth like a wound in the pale skin, the sharp, inhuman teeth under the dark lips that looked ready to tear her to pieces as she would have encountered her gaze. No, she couldn't look at her, not until she would have had something even vaguely similar to an explanation.  
“ Who's she?” Emma asked to Regina, hugging Henry more closely to her. The kid was staring at the woman with his eyes wide open. She could feel him shiver and press himself against her when the woman looked back at him and smiled.   
“ She's Cruella de Vil, Emma.” the brunette answered, pressing her lips together and lifting her brows, in a clear suggestion not to freak out at the name.   
“ Cruella de Vil.” the Savior repeated, frowned. “ The one I'm thinking about. That Cruella de Vil.”   
Regina slightly tilted her head. “ Sort of. She's a werewolves' slayer. She'll kill the Three Little Pigs.”  
Emma was literally open-mouthed. She looked at the woman, who slightly bowed with a creepy smile of hers. “ At your service.” she hissed, making her shiver. Emma gazed at Regina.   
“ A friend of yours, uh? Like the dragon. “   
Regina had to stifle a laughter. “ Beware your words, Miss Swan. You're my friend, too.” the brunette said, pinching her lips in a repressed smile, her eyes glittering with something dangerously close to affection.  
Emma grinned at her. “ Seen your friends, you're the one who should watch out, Mills.”   
The hissing laughter of the Slayer froze the room. Everyone turned to look at her. “ She has a forked tongue, doesn't she, Your Majesty?”   
Rapunzel glared at her. “ And you'll have yours cut off if you keep talking, Slayer.”   
The woman hissed against the warrior like a snake. Shaya devilishly grinned.   
“ Don't try me...” she murmured making Emma shiver, more than she wished to admit. She looked at her darkened eyes, a visible prelude to darker thoughts. The Savior swallowed hard.   
“ Perhaps you'd like to give me my weapons before the beginning of the battle...” Cruella said, tilting laterally her head, glancing at Regina. Emma watched the brunette gave a slight nod.   
“ Of course, dear. “ she politely answered. Well, her version of politeness. The one that always implied a threat.  
Regina turned and stepped forward, facing the Slayer with a smirk. “ However, I can't find it wise to give you your powers back. Not before that our friend is safe from you, at least.”  
Cruella looked away from her, suddenly pointing her eyes on something behind Emma, at her left. The Savior turned, finding out that Ruby was the only person Cruella could be looking at, seen that her parents were literally at the opposite angles of the wall, distant from her. The girl met her gaze for a heartbeat. She was hella scared.  
“ Oh, that little puppy... I promise I won't hurt her.”   
“ Whatever will happen to Red, you'll get the same.”   
Rapunzel's voice made Emma watch her. If she was Cruella, she would have believed her.   
The Slayer angrily sneered.  
“ You're asking me to protect one of those beasts?” she hissed. Emma was beginning to get used to that inhuman voice: her brain didn't ache at its sound anymore.  
“ No. I'm kindly suggesting you to do it. For your own good.” Shaya gave her a mocking smile, ignoring the bite that the woman gave to the air.   
“ Fuck you, Golden Death! I'll eat your skin!”  
Rapunzel slightly sighed. “ Oh, I feel so in peril! Someone save me from this terrifying woman.” she dramatically said, the back of her right hand leaning against her forehead, suddenly pretending to faint. She stood up again before touching the floor, a derisive, half sympathetic smile on her face.   
Henry's unattended laugh made Emma frown. Cruella didn't look that amused. She glared at the kid, but Regina put herself between her glare and Henry while Emma hugged him from behind.   
“ You mustn't even look at him, Slayer. “ Regina steadily said. Emma could see Cruella's creepy eyes above the brunette's head. She was furious.   
“ Or what, Your Majesty? Your guard dog will rip my eyes out?”   
“ Emma, please, go with Henry upstairs. I have to talk with Cruella.”   
Emma didn't hesitate a second. Henry wasn't safe with that monster there. He would probably have nightmares for months.  
“ Let's go, kid.”   
The boy preceded her without a word. He just shared a look with his mother, who gave him a reassuring glance before welcoming back the Evil Queen in her glare.

Regina waited for her son to be safely out of range before speaking again.  
“ See, dear, I understand that you can't know much about me, seen your last...   
thirty-two? years spent in a cell, but, exactly because of this, you should know what I am capable of.” she calmly said, slightly smiling at the Slayer. Cruella hissed again, showing her teeth. “ Let alone the one you dared to call my "guard dog". She's kind of irritable, you know? Oh, right, you know. You experienced it. How could I forget it? How could you forget it, I wonder? I thought you didn't like pain, dear. “   
Cruella gritted her teeth. “ I don't. “  
Regina brightly smiled at her, but she clearly felt her eyes stay cold. “ Good then. There's nothing else to say. Never again.”   
The woman loudly sighed, visibly enraged despite the menace. “ You can't ask me to protect a werewolf!” she growled, pointing a finger towards Red. “ I can't do this!”   
Regina smirked. “ Well, then. Rapunzel.” she just said, stepping back then.   
Shaya stepped forward instead, positioning herself behind the Slayer. She now had huge, wet eyes. Shaya leaned a hand on her shoulder.   
“ Regina...” David's voice didn't made her look away from Cruella. She expected his intervention. She expected Snow's, to be true, but apparently the idiot was in shock or something similar because, since when she had entered her mansion, she had stayed miserably silent in an angle with her eyes fixed on the floor. Poor innocent girl.  
“ I won't beg you, if you're expecting it...” Cruella said, locking gaze with Regina. She frowned.  
“ Oh, no, don't worry: you're not even gonna scream.”   
The former Queen waved a hand in the air, sealing the Slayer's mouth.   
“ Regina! You can't...” David insisted, his voice overlapping Red's.  
“ Rapunzel...?” the werewolf weakly said, almost in a questioning way, as if she couldn't believe what was going to happen.  
“ It's necessary, Cub. Don't worry.”   
Regina felt her prepare to use magic.  
“ It's... It's not! I don't need protection, I can protect myself!”  
Regina glanced at her.  
“ Not from them.”   
“ Then you guys will protect me!”  
Regina this time locked gaze with the younger woman. “ Not from them.” she repeated.   
“ You could rip her heart out, she'd do whatever you ask her to do. Why won't you?” Snow's voice startled them all. It didn't even seem her voice anymore. Bright green eyes met deep brown ones.   
“ S-she doesn't have one. She lost it.” Regina answered after a while, finding herself astounded. That woman wasn't Snow White. Snow White never had that look.   
The stranger nodded once, shrugging.   
“ Such a pity.” she said, tilting her head.   
Regina shared an astonished look with Charming. He was literally open-mouthed, and pale, very pale. Not as much as Snow, however. She looked ill, or like... consumed.   
Regina turned, locking gaze with Shaya. She was pale too, now. The warrior swallowed, making her shiver, because Shaya was afraid, and she didn't know why. She couldn't be afraid of Snow, it was impossible. She could have never been a threat to her.  
Shaya let go Cruella's shoulder, giving Regina a quick, worried glance before walking towards Snow. She stopped three steps away from her. Regina watched them look at each other for a second, but then Snow hid her eyes glancing down. Shaya stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, making her give a slight jump.  
“ Listen well, child, because this is your only occasion to do it: we have short time. You are Snow White, daughter of King Leopold and Queen Eva, Princess of the Northern Lands, wife of Prince David, mother of Princess Emma. As a Princess, your sacred duty is to protect your people. As a wife, your sacred duty is to protect your husband. As a mother, your sacred duty is to protect your daughter.” Shaya paused. Snow was looking at her now, slightly open-mouthed, frowned. It looked like if someone had just stabbed her. Surprisingly, it wasn't pleasing to Regina to see her in those conditions. “ In the name of your own being, find your strength and fight for the ones you love. The darkness is not a safe place, Snow, trust me. “   
Snow narrowed her eyes. “ Why should I? You're her lover.” she spat, disgusted, hitting Shaya's hand to move it from her shoulder and stepping back then.   
“ And I'm the one who saved your life, if you can remember...”  
“ Only because of your pathetic attempt to protect that bitch from herself!”   
“ That is exactly the same thing I'm doing with you now!” Rapunzel steadily replied to the hysterical yelling of Snow.   
Snow froze for a second, but then something passed in her eyes, and she bursted into a harsh laughter. No, really, that one wasn't Snow White. Regina was sure about it. She looked for a trace of magic, but found none.   
“ Oh d'you wanna kiss me now? Show me how much you love me, darling? “ Snow stepped forward, getting really, really close to Rapunzel, who didn't made a move though. “ Why don't you die for me, instead?” she asked in a devilish grin. Her hand reached Shaya's sword, but the warrior's closed upon it, sticking it between steel and skin. She moved her head forward, facing that weird thing that Snow White had become.   
“ What you're doing is just silly, Child. Wanna be evil? Well then, support Pan and the werewolves. Kill us all. Kill the man you love, your daughter, they won't be by your side. Your grandson, too. He's Regina's son, she raised him. He's like her, can't you see it? Take revenge on her and kill him in front of her eyes. Let Finnegan torture her to death, enjoy the show, dress in her blood. Participate eventually. Tie me up and burn me alive, it will be funny to dance at my screams. And Red? She'd betray you, too. Let her to Cruella, she'll take care of her. Granny, Archie, Geppetto, do you need them to stay alive? Just a waste of food. Cut their head. Hook? Should I mention him? Rumplestilstkin? Take Belle, change her life for the dagger, then kill them both with it. You could keep the children, raise them, make them your army, reestablish your kingdom. You'd be the Dark One, who could stop you?” Shaya took a pause from her almost whispered monologue. Regina started to breathe again: even simply hearing those things made her heart stop. Shaya had a brilliant, terrorizing dark mind, she couldn't deny it. Regina mentally thanked her for being that beautiful person that she had decided to be instead of surrendering to her dark side.   
“ I would never...” Snow muttered, her widened eyes weeping, apparently incapable to end the sentence.   
Regina watched Shaya nod, then move and slowly hug Snow, letting her cry on her shoulder. “ I know, Child, I know. Remember it, okay?”  
It looked like if Snow wanted to melt with Shaya so tight was her hug, and suffocated her weep.   
The warrior made a sign with her hand, and David sided her, just to hug Snow together with her then. The woman let Shaya go and grasped to her husband. He gently took her in the kitchen at Regina's mute permission.   
“ We're screwed.” Cruella sighed shaking her head in disappointment. Regina had forgot to keep the spell going.  
“ Shush.” she murmured while sealing again her lips. She looked at the Slayer. “ Stay still while I protect Miss Lucas.” she ordered, already walking to the werewolf. The pale girl was still watching Shaya with her eyes wide open. Regina quickly took a hair of hers and pulled.  
“ Ouch!” Ruby exclaimed with a jump, massaging her head. “ What the hell...?”   
But Regina was already walking back. She stopped in front of Cruella.   
“ Kneel.” she ordered. The Slayer had no choice than do it, pushed by magic. They had wasted enough time. They had a battle to prepare.   
Regina burned the hair and trapped the smoke in her hand, adding whispered words of power to it. She then put the hand under Cruella's nose.  
“ Inhale.” she ordered before opening her hand. The Slayer couldn't disobey as Regina didn't let her breathe for a while. She then coughed hard, not forgetting to insult her, until Shaya glared at her, at least.   
Regina slightly smiled at the warrior, who winked at her, making her heart skip a beat.  
“ Here's your stuff, Cruella.” Regina handed the bag to the Slayer. She grabbed it and immediately took off of it a long, white wolf fur. She stood up and wore it, caressing the pearl-white hairs.   
“ I missed you...” she whispered to the fur. Her son. Regina shivered at the thought: Cruella's son had been bitten by a werewolf, and became one of them. He was out of control, and killed many people in the village they lived in. The slay had began the same night: ten men, former soldiers and huntsmen, were looking for the beast, ready to kill it. Cruella, desperate and alone, found help in a mysterious magical creature of great power. None knew who this creature was, but it was known that the woman had asked for a way to save her son, and she had had a flute made out of a bone. " Play the flute" the creature had said " and your son will come to you". So Cruella had done it on a lonely hill in the middle of the forest, and her son, a huge white wolf, had run to her. But he wasn't the only one to hear the magical sound: another werewolf, black as the night, came to the hill. The two wolves began to fight, staining the blanket of snow with red, filling the night's air with hollers of blood. The black wolf's howl was the one to fly victorious upon the trees in the end. He tried to run away, but Cruella, blind with fury and pain, played the flute again, and the wolf ran right against the ten hunters, dying under their blades. They said that then she was so enraged and crazy that she did it too, and killed the men with her teeth and nails, snapping at their throats, scratching their eyes out. She then came back to the hill, covered in blood. Her fury had been so deep to transform her in a beast, so she used a knife of one of the huntsmen and skinned the wolf that had been her son. She wore his fur, took back the flute and disappeared for years. Then between the packs the voice of the Slayer began to pass from ear to ear as more and more wolves were found skinned alive and with signs of weird bites on their throat.  
Regina wondered if she would do the same if Henry was... she couldn't even think of it. Yes, she would probably go crazy and kill everyone, just like Cruella. Her eyes met Shaya's. Those two circles that seemed to have stolen the color of limpid ocean water in a bright sunny day, able to chill her never ending burning rage and to warm her heart at the same time. And, as every time, a reassuring calm invaded her at that worried stare, washing away any trace of dark, silly thoughts from her mind. Herny was safe because she, Emma and Shaya would protect him with their lives. There would have never been the reason to go crazy. Again. Her happy ending was standing right in front of her, and no werewolf could change that.


	24. Red dawn

The air was still, as if the time itself was waiting for the battle to begin, holding its breath. Killian glanced at Emma, crouched next to him behind the wall of cars that they'd created, nothing more than her red leather jacket and her tight blue jeans to protect her body. The short sword weakly reflected the foggy light of the ending night in her right hand, nervously clamped around the wooden hilt.  
“ Hey.” he whispered, startling her. She was rightly terrorized. Emma locked gaze with him, showing him a pair of huge grey-green eyes. He softly smiled at her. “ We can handle this, Swan. It's just a battle. Trust me, I've fought many of 'em in my life. We can win.”  
“ But we can lose, too.” she objected, her hand that slightly trembled, as her voice.  
Killian smiled again at her. “ Ah, I doubt it. We have that creepy woman by our side, the Slayer, and Rapunzel, Regina... and your nice butt. “ Emma's eyes grew wider at his last words. He grinned, trying to return serious. His defense wasn't needed nor appreciated in that moment. “ You're powerful, Swan. You and the Queen, together, you can do anything.”  
Emma gave a bitter, suffocated laugh. “ I can barely stand this tension...” she said glancing down.  
“ Yet you can stand it.”  
Emma gazed up at him again. He could do nothing else than smile at her. She was beautiful, even if scared. He could see the bravery behind the fear in her widened, hoping eyes. And the gratefulness, now. She tried to smile back at him. He nodded once, pressing his lips together, wishing to press them against hers, instead, yet unable to find the courage to lean forward and kiss her. He could run laughing towards the death, he thought with bitterness, but not kiss a girl, better, that girl. An inner laughter shook his body.  
The pirate watched the empty grey street in front of him from the window of the car, the thick fog that hid the dangerous horizon. The silence was absolute, broken only by his own breaths. Killian looked at his right, giving a brief smile to Victor, eyeing the odd black weapon in his hands that they had called "Uzi". Weird weapon, weird name. Behind the doctor he could catch sight of the sexy wolf-girl, or at least the warning yellow lights of her eyes in the fog. The pirate turned and gazed up, looking at the confused figure of Snow White, hidden together with Granny inside the clock tower, behind all of them, ready to throw arrows against the enemies, protected from theirs by the Crocodile's spell.  
Hook turned again, his attention caught by the whispering voices of Swan and Regina, talking to each other. He watched the former Queen, dressed in an incredibly elegant black armor, lean a hand on Emma's shoulder and reassuringly smile at her.  
“ Henry's safe, Emma, he will be fine. We'll protect him.” the brunette was saying. Emma nodded, but he heard her swallow hard.  
“ Yes, we will.” she whispered, too tensely to not being trying to convince herself. There was something close to panic in her voice. Killian sighed, saddened. Seen the last fight, she had her reasons to be scared. He was scared too, for her. She was strong, and, yes, she could use a sword after all, but in a real battle... He would protect her, he swore to himself. He could do this one good thing in his life, and he would do it, whatever that would have meant. Pan wanted them? Well, he wanted his skin too, and from a long time. It was time that his throat encountered his hook.  
“ We will.” Emma repeated.  
Killian looked at her put up gorgeous hair. A face was standing in his field of view, three steps afar: Hook locked gaze with Rapunzel and her knowing stare. They slightly nodded once at each other, a silent accordance binding them as a blood pact of brotherhood.

Snow looked at her daughter from a distance, watching her talk with Regina, then turn and go back to stare at the empty road. The sun was about to rise. The battle would have begun in moments.  
Snow had already seen Regina's armor once. She had thought that she was intimidating, scary with that outfit. The embodiment of death, of her death. She had trembled at that sight. Now the only thought that filled her mind was that the poisoned arrow that she was holding, ready to be nocked, could fly straight to Regina's heart, and she would have neither noted it. As that one time in the woods, when the step-mother had pretended to be a peasant, she had her life in her hand. If only she hadn't hesitated that time...  
“ I thought I would have never seen that look in your eyes, child.”  
Granny's voice awakened her, making her give a start. She glanced at her.  
“ Which look?” she harshly asked, swallowing. She knew the answer.  
“ The predator's look, you know it. I saw Red have that gaze, Hook, Rumplestilstkin, Regina, me... But you... I guess that all of us, we all must have that look at least once in our lives. But I believed that you wouldn't have addressed it to the mother of your grandson. Not after what she did in the mines, at least.”  
Snow couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at that scolding tone. She glared at Granny, then came back watching the road.  
“ One good thing can't erase a million bad actions.” she angrily whispered.  
“ Henry loves her. Emma loves her.”  
Snow goggled, suddenly looking again at her. Granny visibly held back a laughter. “ Not in a romantic way, obviously. I thought that it was obvious, at least.”  
Snow couldn't help sighing in relief. The simple idea made her shiver in disgust and horror. She had to force herself to think about something else. Granny helped her with her words.  
“ I thought you two were finally conciliated. What happened to make you be this angry with her?”  
Snow let her sight get lost in the light grey fog. What had happened? When did she begin to feel this angry? She had almost forgot it, and she really didn't know how could she had forgotten such a thing. “ She used magic... There was an accident, and Emma almost died. Henry was shattered. I was shattered. “  
“ Red told me that Emma used magic, not Regina...”  
Rage filled Snow's eyes with tears and emptied her chest. “ If she didn't curse us, Emma wouldn't be the Savior, and she wouldn't be damned by the burden of magic... I know that it will change her. Now, in moments, she's using magic, killing through it, under Regina's lead... “ her voice became almost a snarl. “ She'll become a monster like her. And I can do nothing to impede it.” Nothing but... Snow looked at the inviting arrow, its sharp, deathly edge pointing outside the window, down, almost against the hated black silhouette.  
“ Are you sure you're talking about your daughter?”  
Snow glanced at Granny in surprise. “ What?”  
Granny smirked. “ As long as I can see, Snow, the changed one is you. Look at her.” she said, nodding towards the blonde. Snow looked at her daughter, as the older woman said. “ She's terrorized, Snow. She's shivering, can you see it? I can smell her fear. Her hands are sweating, see how she holds her sword? She doesn't want to fight, she probably won't kill anyone. Maybe she'll wound them. Maybe. And, yes, she'll use magic, but it doubt that Regina will let her kill someone with it. I smell her fear too, her worrying. Can you see how she glances at her? How she's trying to reassure her? She knows, Snow. Henry has a dark mother, he doesn't need another one. She knows that Emma has to stay good. She'll do anything to make her son happy, so she'll protect her, from them and from herself. I know it because I would do the same, before you ask me.”  
“ You're not Regina.”  
“ No. But I'm a mother. And you too are. We do what's best for our children, whatever that means. Even if it means that we have to trust our archenemy.”  
The two locked gaze for a while. Snow wanted to believe her, she wanted to trust Regina, but she just couldn't. She looked at Emma, talking again with Hook now. Her daughter's life was in a pirate's and an evil queen's hands. She really hated the Three Little Pigs, and Peter Pan, and the fucking Lost Boys. She wanted them death. Worse, she wanted to kill them all.

“ I'm not saying that we're dying. I'm just saying that there's a high probability that we'll die.”  
Ruby sighed at Victor's words, rolling her eye. “ Always positive, uh?”  
Whale shrugged. “ Well, I never get disappointed.”  
Red glanced at him, admiring his unusual macho appearance in that body armor and with the Tommy gun in his hands. He had to feel her gaze, because he glanced back at her, and with such an alluring smirk that Red had to look away to remember that they were going to fight and kill people and that that wasn't the time to have sex behind David's pick up in the middle of the road.  
“ The white coat or the body armor?”  
The girl gave him a quick, confused look. “ What?”  
“ Which one is sexier? The doctor or the soldier? The white coat or the body armor?” he asked, always smirking, and then winking at her as she leaned her eyes on him, feeling her cheeks flush and something similar to an electrical shock between her legs.  
“ Goddammit!” she whispered, making him stifle a laughter. “ Are you stupid or what? If Steven hears you...”  
Victor brightly smiled in the grey fog, moving the Uzi as to show it to her. “ He'll find out that lead maybe can't kill him, but it surely can tear him up to pieces if a proper weapon shoots it.”  
“ Victor...”  
“ Trust me.” he interrupted her, still smiling. “ I'm a doctor.”  
Ruby opened her mouth to answer to him, but a now well known smell almost made her choke. She turned and stretched to the window to watch the road, disappearing in the fog in a few meters, her heartbeat crazily accelerated, still unable to see him, yet sure that he was there. The air brought her other smells, unknown people, full of adrenaline and weapons, judging by the iron smell.  
She turned towards her right, looking for Regina's eyes. The brunette almost immediately locked gaze with her. Ruby nodded once to her.  
_They're here._ came the steady and silent voice of the former Queen in her mind, as in the other's.  
Ruby turned her head to the road again. The fog was thick, transforming the sky in a solid grey surface, randomly glittering, confusing their eyes, hiding the young sun, the buildings, the enemies. Granny and Snow couldn't help them.  
She herself couldn't help them.  
Not in that form.  
Ruby shut her eyes, awakening the wolf, herself. The animal, crouched in the middle of her soul, raised her head. Their eyes met for a heartbeat before that they became the same thing, before that their skins mixed, her fur protecting their body, her fangs opening their mouth, her feral warmth filling their heart.  
Red opened her eyes, seeing the apparently empty road over the window of the pick up, now at her eye level. She felt the cold asphalt under her paws, the wet air invade her nostrils, bringing all kind of smells and sensations to her, vibrating in her tensed ears, the steps of the enemies reverberate in her deep, light growl.  
_Still._ Regina ordered. Red immobilized, yet she couldn't not foretaste the flesh and the blood between her jaws. She started to drool, her eyes on the close horizon, waiting for the order.  
Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Everyone was immobile, waiting for Regina's voice in their mind. The werewolf could feel their growing tension.  
Steven was right there, just a few steps behind the grey curtain of mist. His brothers were with him, their smells were similar. And they were all still. Waiting, just like them. She knew that he had felt her.  
Regina gave her a quick sign of understanding as she caught her thought.  
There was a second of silence, the blink of an eye, then everything became a burning hell: the remaining cars on the sides of the road, surrounding the Lost Boys and the Three Little Pigs, suddenly exploded in an unbearable flash of light and heat. The screams filled the air, smell of burnt flesh, of blood, of death. Red opened her eyes, licking her whiskers.  
“ Gather, idiots! Gather! “ a tall boy, covered by a strange armor and holding a sword, was screaming to the others. Half of his face was disfigured by a wrinkled scar. The surviving Lost Boys assembled behind him, nervously holding their weapons.  
Meanwhile, the Three Little Pigs had started transforming. Steven was the first to tear up his t-shirt, screaming, howling. Red had never seen someone transform that way. He was getting taller, larger, his face a haired hybrid between a human and a wolf, as the rest of his enormous body. He threw away the t-shirt as the transformation was apparently completed, leaving him in that terrifying form between man and wolf, tall like two men, dangerous as ten.  
_Attack!_ Regina yelled, together with Pan, in their mind and with her voice, already sending balls of fire against the enemies.  
Red jumped over the pick up, landing on a brave boy who had ran to the wall of cars, immediately ripping open his throat. She gave a brief glance to the enormous black hybrid that Robert had become. He was trying to reach Cruella, but Rapunzel and Regina were holding him with magic.  
Red looked around, trying to find Steven, but the fog had hidden him. Screams and growls from her right, though, made her understand that he had to be there.  
A girl appeared from the grey curtain of mist running against her and jumped, grasping at her neck, a little axe lifted, ready to hit her back. Ruby rolled on the ground, breaking her armed arm, crashing her ribs under her weight. She looked at her for the time to realize that she was still alive, struggling to breathe, before tearing her head off with a single bite. She then turned, ready to fight, or so she thought: Steven was there, a mountain of muscles covered in blood. Whom was that blood? Red felt a sudden rage invade her, and fiercely growled at the reddish werewolf. A sort of smile contorted his face, showing blooded, long fangs.  
“ My little, ferocious mate...” he said in a bark, stepping forward. Red snarled at him, biting the air as an advice, but he laughed. “ It's a pity that I must kill you now...”  
He bent his legs, preparing to jump on her, but a burst of gunfire threw him on the ground before he could make a move.  
Ruby turned to see a grinning Dr. Whale holding the smoking Uzi, ready to blast away again against the werewolf.  
“ You should make the most of the opportunity.” he loudly said glancing at her.  
Red turned back towards Steven, laying on the ground but trying to stand up. Another burst of gunfire impeded him to, almost tearing him in two. Their eyes met. There was rage in Steven's, and pain, and fear. Red jumped, opened her jaws and clenched them around his throat.

The bloodcurdling howls tore the mist. Regina threw another fireball against the black werewolf, Robert, making him step back again. They needed Steven's heart, or they were doomed. _Ruby, where the hell are you?_ she mentally asked, making her power dart around the road in search of the werewolf. She was alive and close, she felt it. They had to hold on just a little bit more.  
Regina glanced at Emma, who had just thickened the air and pushed Robert back again. She was sweated, tired, concentrated. Hook, at Emma's right but beyond the barrier of cars, was fighting against a tall boy, crossing his sword with his, then his hook, then his sword again. By the way he moved it was clear that he had been wounded while the boy was unharmed, it seemed. But Hook wasn't her main worrying now: Finnegan's howl had made her shiver in dread, but she had yet to see him since the beginning of the battle. Regina mentally asked Shaya, who was massacring boys with one hand and sending lightenings against Robert with the other, if she had seen him. The warrior shook her head with a worried glance at her.  
Regina gazed at Cruella, hiding behind her, her flute in her hand.  
“ I can do nothing without the power of the leader's heart!” she had said with her eyes widened by the anger when she had tried to play the flute, the night before, when they were planning the defense. “ The imprisonment has weakened me! It's your fault! Your fault!” she had creaked, trying to attack her with her stretched hands looking more than never like claws. Shaya had obviously stopped her before Regina could even think of a spell.  
“ If you try to do it again, I'll put a collar around your neck and make you Red's personal pet. Is it clear?” Shaya, better, the Golden Death had threatened her, holding her with her face on the ground with a feet on her back. Miss Lucas had blushed, but at Shaya's wink she had closed her mouth and given a quick, half-hidden smirk.  
“ She's coming.” Regina said to the Slayer. She nervously nodded once, her dark tongue darting over the sharp teeth, her hands rubbing one against the other, reflecting the same greed as her widened, crazy eyes did.  
“ The wolves' blood and their flesh, the wolves' blood and their furs, the wolves' blood lights the night under the Moon's sight...” she repeated in a hiss for the umpteenth time, eyes fixed on Robert. “ Son of the Moon, son of mine...” Regina looked away, locking gaze with Emma for a few seconds. Cruella frightened her, she knew it. _Be strong_ she said to her mind, concentrating on the fight again.  
_I'm trying._ Emma answered with a tensed smirk, pushing Robert away again.  
Regina chuckled and threw another fireball to the werewolf, but this time he avoided it. He had finally understood, she thought. Stupid, yet terribly strong. Emma raised him from the ground and then let him fall, but it was clear that he would have just fell standing, so Regina grabbed him with magic and laid him flat while a lightening ran through his body, paralyzing him. Regina couldn't hold a shiver. She knew how painful it was.  
_Regina..._ Shaya's uncertain voice came to her mind, silky, calming. Regina looked at the woman. She was a glorious and terrifying vision with the blooded longsword in the right hand, a dazzling light-blue light in the left one, her black leather armor drawing each curve of her body, contrasting with the shining gold of her braided hair. She cut the head of a girl without even look at her. _What's wrong?_ she sweetly asked.  
Regina, for how absurd the situation could be, couldn't help but stifle a laughter. How could one be that way? She gave her a quick smile. “ Nothing.” she answered, making her frown. A Lost Boy tried to attack Shaya from behind, but, raising a finger as to signal to Regina to wait, the warrior turned with what looked like an elegant spin and pointed the blade against the throat of the boy, who froze with the sword mid-air and the mouth opened in the stopped war cry. Regina saw her nod at him. He turned to run away, but another Lost Boy intercepted him and stabbed him. The tall boy then dropped the body, smirking at Shaya. Half of his face was a web of scars. He was the one who had almost killed Shaya in Neverland, Regina understood with rage burning her heart. The fireball burned in her hand before she could even realize it.

“ Rapunzel! I thought I'd killed you!”  
Shaya grinned at the boy. “ You did. “  
Peter's eyebrows jumped up. “ Well then, a ghost is gonna die today.” he said, frowned but smiling.  
Shaya tightened the grip on her sword. “ Well, Peter, by now I've killed a dozen of yours, and I'm not even sweating. “ she sneered. The anger tightened Pan's figures.  
“ Isn't that even annoying to you to kill such young people? Children? What kind of monster can do this without batting an eyelid? Or you're just used to it since you were young, Mad Princess?” he asked tilting his head. Rapunzel gritted her teeth.  
“ Although you may look a boy, we all know that you're an old man, Pan. You should be dust, as your mates. “ she spat.  
“ And dust I'll make you.” Regina's throaty voice barely preceded the huge fireball that passed next to Shaya's shoulder to fly right against the boy, but when the fire extinguished, there was no burned body on the ground. A dazzling laughter came from above their heads.  
“ You can stitch me up just once, Evil Queen!” Pan happily said, turning a somersault mid-air. He was surrounded by a familiar yellow sparkle. Shaya had read about it.  
“ Pixie dust...” Shaya murmured in astonishment, together with Regina. They glanced at each other, but there was no time for explanations now.  
“ Yyyessss!” Peter smirked at them. “ Pretty useful, really. And pixies, uhm...” he added with a filthy smirk, making Shaya's guts contort in disgust. He really looked just like a boy, thirteen years old to be generous. And fairies had disappeared decades before from Neverland, she had thought that they were extinguished until she had met Blue here, in Storybrooke. Yet it was clear now that they were in Peter's foul hands, prisoners, slaves. Shaya couldn't help but feel a deep, burning rage light her eyes.  
“ You're disgusting, Pan! Hope you killed them before leaving Neverland.”  
“ Kill them? “ he asked before bursting into a rich laughter. “ I wish, I wish! But unfortunately I had just three of them. One tried to escape, and one of my boys accidentally killed her with an arrow. He just wanted to hit her wings but, you know they're little things, it isn't easy... I wanted to warn the others that it was dangerous to fly away, so I closed them in a cage with the body of the stupid fairy for a week but, as I opened the cage, another tried to escape. You'll see, I couldn't allow myself to lose another pixie, so I tore her wings up, but I must have done something wrong, because she died the day after. The last one, she's quite brave, she took human form to try to kill me, but...” he softly laughed, hiding his mouth behind a hand. “ She's so pretty! I broke her wings, without tearing 'em. “ he shrugged. “ One must learn from his mistakes.”  
Shaya tried to jump to impale him with the sword, but he flew higher just in time to avoid the blade, and the fireball a second after.  
“ Miladies, it was a pleasure to chat with you, but I have to go now. An old friend of mine is waiting for me. To kill him.” he sneered before flying away, avoiding their magical attacks with such nonchalance to make Shaya growl in frustration. An arrow, instead, hit him on his waist, making him fall on the ground.  
Shaya smiled at the tower, knowing that Snow could see it. She just saw her bow raise as a greet.  
“ I must admit that I'm starting to appreciate her ability with that bow.” came the husky voice of the former Queen.  
Shaya lowered her gaze on Regina. She tried to smile, but her eyes were still darkened by hate, and Shaya really couldn't understand why. Since when did she care about fairies?  
“ Why...” she began, but Emma's tired voice interrupted her.  
“ You guys, I'd appreciate a little help, ya know?”  
She was facing Robert all alone indeed, and she wasn't that good with magic yet. Regina immediately sided her, giving her strength. Shaya could feel the powerful stream of power flowing from Queen to Savior, and directly attacking the stubborn werewolf.  
“ Robert, get the hell out of here! We won't let you pass!” Shaya tried to yell at him, but he answered with a growl so loud to make her ears ache. Shaya shrugged. “ As you wish.” She began throwing lightenings towards the enemy again. 

Emma repeatedly opened and clenched the numb hand. That continuous flow of magic was really proving her. She had never wanted Gold around, but this time she could really appreciate his presence. One more sorcerer wouldn't have been bad. She didn't blame Regina, she had felt from her that that Peter Pan was a shit of a badass. She wouldn't have let Rapunzel alone against him, even because of the result of their last meeting.  
Regina's help now had given her the strength to go on with the spell and keep that fucking werewolf away from Cruella before she could do her creepy magic. Cruella de Vil was the freaking Pied Piper. Well, the dark version of it, according to what Regina had said to her. But everyone was the dark version of everyone there, so nothing new. Everyone but Regina, now that she thought about it. She glanced at her. She was concentrated, lightened by her own flames by one side and by Rapunzel's lightening by the other one. Emma thought about it. They looked like a freaking trio of heroines, she knew it. Henry would have loved it. Oh, and her father, right. He wasn't dark, not at all. Well, but that story with Mary Margaret and Kathryn... And the Mother Superior, errr, Blue. She couldn't be dark, she was a nun and a fairy. Fuck, if she was dark too, they were screwed.  
“ I'm moved, Emma, but you should concentrate now. You're lifting him, it's too tiring for you...” Regina glared at her.  
Fuck. She had forgot that she was in everyone's mind to coordinate the defense. Emma grinned at the brunette and dropped the heavy werewolf.  
“ Sorry.”  
Regina glanced at her, with the hint of a smile dancing around her eyes. “ A trio of heroines, uh?”  
Emma blushed. “ Yeah, ya know, Henry's comics...”  
“ Henry's, yes...”  
Emma sighed, blushing more. “ Hey, look, a huge werewolf, you should try to kill him once again...”  
A giant blaze made the werewolf howl in pain. “ He's quite tough, isn't he?” Regina thoughtfully asked, gazing at Robert while slightly tilting her head.  
“ He's fucking fireproof, holy shit!” Emma agreed, guiltily smiling then at Regina's scolding glare. “ Well, Henry isn't listening...” she justified her swearing.  
A light yelp made her turn. The big black wolf that Ruby had become was behind them.  
“ It was about time, Miss Lucas! I thought that you and Steven were doing something else than try to kill each other... “  
Emma had to stifle a laughter at Regina's words.  
“ Keep holding Robert, Emma, or we won't survive this morning.”  
Oh, right, the werewolf. The one who was just three steps away. Emma concentrated and moved her hands as to push someone away. Robert was thrown three yards away, against a couple of Lost Boys. Their screams were terrible. Emma turned to watch Cruella but, seen what she was doing, she immediately looked away.  
“ Goddamit.” she murmured, trying to concentrate on the only spell she knew, in order to be ready to cast it again. That woman was fucking eating Steven's freaking heart! It was disgusting, and horrible, and disgustinger. Fuck. An arrow flew right against her, but another arrow, coming from behind her, hit it, breaking it before that it could kill her. Another arrow speeded right after, and a muffled scream confirmed Emma that she had never ever really known Mary Margaret. Hawkeye was a child with one of those bright-colored plastic bows confronted to her.  
Emma tried to look at her, but she was well hidden in the clock tower. She nodded at her anyway, then turned again, ready to fight, comforted by the thought that her mother was watching her back. 

The saber met the dagger once again, and was pushed away. Killian tried a lunge, but Pan flied higher and avoided the blade with a dazzling, childish laughter.  
“ You coward!” Hook yelled in exasperation at the so called boy. He was beginning to get tired of looking above his head to fight that little piece of shit. He was damn exposed to any other's attack in that position.  
Peter frowned. “ Coward? How do you dare, Captain? Thought you had a little of respect for you enemies!”  
Killian gnashed his teeth. “ You don't even dare fight me man-to-man. You fly away! Although the look, you're not a bloody fairy, ya know?”  
At first Pan laughed hard, but then he suddenly stopped and glared at him. “ I'm no sweet pixie.” he murmured. “ I'll fight you man-to-man, with one hand behind my back.” he declared, flying down.  
Killian lifted one eyebrow. How swagger of him. But it was not like he could trust that demon. “ You mean you won't fly?”  
Pan nodded once, opening his arms, then bending the left one behind his back. “ I give my word, Hook.”  
Hook locked gaze with him, looking for any trace of a lie. He finally grinned. “ Good, then let's have at it!”  
The pirate lunged forward, trying to hit his abdomen, but Pan was fast moving, and deviated his saber with the dagger, stepping laterally and parrying the following chop.  
“ You're slow, Captain!” he laughed, trying a lung in turn. Hook parried it with the sword and tried to hit him with the hook, but Peter avoided it bending back. But doing so he overbalanced as he stretched the wound that Snow White had caused him, so was slow avoiding Killian's next chop. A red line ran through his chest, making him scream in pain. He stepped back. Hook gave him the time to take a breath, taking advantage of it to breathe in turn. Chasing him while he was flying had tired him, after all.  
“ Not that slow, uh, Peter?” he sneered, whirling the saber to limber up.  
The boy grinned at him, licking his own blood from his fingers.  
“ I'm still alive, Hook, don't worry.”  
“ Oh I wouldn't. You should, though.” the pirate said before lunging again, trying to hit him, then feinted, hoping that it would have been enough to wound him another time. It was. His right bicep had a deep wound now. Pan had to change hand and hold the dagger with the left hand. Killian took advantage of it and began furiously attacking the boy, forcing him to move back. A few breaths after the boy fell down after having stumbled on a dead body. Hook aimed the saber at his throat, panting yet victoriously smiling at him.  
“ I told you.” he said. Peter gave a sneer.  
“ I told you, too.”  
Killian frowned, confused, but that distraction was enough for Pan to grab his hand, pull him down and sink the dagger in his belly. Killian googled in astonishment and pain, exactly as Pan: the hook had found its way through the boy's chest. Killian sneered, tasting the blood's sweet flavor in his mouth. He let go the saber and held Peter's dagger still where it was, leaning on his own elbow, and pushed the hook further inside Peter's chest, then pulled it out, smirking at his bloody cough. He had been waiting for centuries for that moment.  
“ It looks like I've killed you, Pan.” he said. The huge green eyes of the boy focused his, and a weak smile tensed his lips.  
“ A honorable fight, wasn't it?”  
Killian clenched his jaws. The furor of the fight was suddenly gone, leaving him oddly empty, with a knowledge he didn't want to remember. A tear slipped through the boy's cheek. Killian swallowed hard.  
“ Wasn't I honorable? “ He had to stop to cough. “ Answer... Please...” he weeped, clasping his jacket.  
Killian gave a trembling sigh. Almost three hundred years of cruelties couldn't be forgotten for a few tears. Yet he couldn't forget the truth he had so hardly tried to erase for so long, too.  
“ I didn't fly, you saw it... I kept my...” Peter coughed again, spitting blood. He was forcing himself to breathe, but his body was collapsing. Killian's swallowed the painful knot that was clenching his throat, wetting his eyes.  
“ You did, son. You were honorable. For once.” he managed to say.  
Peter, or what was left of him, gave a tiny smile, being for a second the little boy he had lost too much time before. Killian took a deep breath, and the only tear that he let go fell on Peter's face exactly when his hook pierced his heart.  
Killian gave a last look at the boy's face, then turned on his back, letting the dagger slip from his body, moaning and gritting his teeth in pain. He stayed there for a while, watching the grey mist hiding the sky from his eyes, trying not to think at what he had had to do, trying to keep his eyes opened. But his eyelids were heavy, so heavy, and it was cold there, and dark...

“ Hook!” David yelled, seeing him fall on the ground next to the boy. A movement at his right caught his attention: Emma had turned to watch him. He made her sign to go to the pirate before having to parry another chop. That damn axe, made of wood and stone, had already damaged his sword, and the boy who held it was very fast using it.  
“ Peter! Nooo!” he had screamed after a quick look to the boy laying next to Killian. He was now glaring at David with burning hazel eyes. “ Y'all shall pay for this!” he growled, whirling the axe.  
David inhaled, calming down his heart, getting ready for another round. Even if the armor that Regina had kindly given back to him had saved his life, he was wounded, and that bloody sharp stone looked ready to cut off his head in moments. It had already cut his right greave, risking to lame him.  
The boy loaded the blow but a black figure suddenly hid him, but not his desperate though short screams. Red turned then, and Charming gave her a brief, tensed smile. He really didn't want her to move from there and show him what was left of that boy.  
“ Hey, thanks Ruby. I needed a hand. “  
Red wagged her tail, but David barely noted it: Emma was still using magic against Robert, but Whale was before Hook, blasting against everyone who tried to come next to him. But still he couldn't help the pirate: he needed someone to cover him. David glanced at Rapunzel, but there wasn't a possibility that she would leave Regina without protection, he was sure. An arrow of Snow's darted next to his head, killing a girl who was taking advantage of Red's distraction ( she was tearing another girl to pieces) to attack him. He innerly smiled: maybe she didn't want him dead, after all. He ran towards Hook and Whale, passing behind Rapunzel, Regina, Cruella and Emma and then jumping over Regina's car. He managed to stop behind Hook, unconscious and terribly pale, with a deep bleeding wound on his belly.  
“ Hey, Whale, gimme the machine gun and help him!” he shouted at the doctor, who took a moment to load the Uzi and then threw it to him with a smirk.  
“ Ah, I was beginning to have fun with that!”  
David stifled a laughter and jumped standing, grabbing the weapon, and putting himself by the pirate, immediately shooting against one of the surviving Boys. There were a few left, but still they kept attacking them. He felt bad everytime he saw one of them die, they looked so young, but Hook and Rapunzel had explained to them that they were adults in truth, some of them were old men even, so it was a little easier to kill them. And with that Uzi, then... David grinned, even though Whale couldn't see him.  
“ Yeah, I begin to understand...”  
He heard Victor briefly laugh behind him. “ You know, it's quite unusual to see a man, no, wait, Prince Charming in full armor with an Uzi... “  
David tried to imagine himself while trying to kill a distant boy, who was throwing arrows at them, missing them though. He hit him on his shoulder it seemed, as the mist brought him his scream and he saw him fall on the ground. A dart reached him, finishing him. Granny, for sure.  
“ Take a picture then!” David said. “ Hey, how's Hook?” he then asked. Despite everything, he was really worried. He liked that man, after all. It would have been sad to lose him, even because he was the only man in that town that he maybe could call friend, someday.  
“ Uhm... The wound is deep, he lost a lot of blood... Honestly I don't know, David. He needs cures and he needs them now, or he'll die.”  
David felt the blood run away from his cheeks. “ Can't you do anything now?”  
“ Not without my instruments, an antibiotic and a bit of luck.”  
David clenched his teeth. He shot a girl, then gazed at Regina. “ But she could...”  
“ Of course. Yet she's quite busy at the moment...” Victor couldn't end the sentence that a smooth sound, high and vibrant, covered any other sound. The melody was beautiful, sad, moving, hypnotizing. David could only look at the source of that sound, and what he saw left him breathless: Cruella, still standing behind Emma and Regina, was playing the white flute, covered in the white fur. What shocked David was her appearance: her face, wrinkled and creepy before, was now of an overwhelming beauty: high cheekbones, fair silky skin, soft red lips and deep black eyes leaning on the werewolf, apparently paralyzed over the barrier of cars. She looked thirty, or younger. Her hair were still half black and half white, but they were longer, and shiny as anyone's, slumped in soft curls. Her body, David could guess it even with the fur to cover it, was slender, her long legs shyly showing up under the fur, her bare feet still on the cold grey ground.  
The melody changed, becoming faster, and David's heartbeat accelerated with the rhythm. He caught a movement with the corner of his eyes: Robert was slowly walking towards the Slayer, evidently struggling not to do it. Emma and Regina moved aside to let him pass. The rhythm changed again, became frenetic, too fast, impossible when the huge werewolf kneeled before the Slayer. She moved the flute and snapped at his throat in the sudden silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the dialogue between Hook and Pan is the same as the Dysney movie's. I couldn't help but quote it, sorry.


	25. Thy life I seize, my wrath to appease

Rumplestilstkin exited the pawn shop, locking the door behind him. He looked at his right: the battle was raging under the clock tower, somewhere in the middle of the thick, magic mist. He smirked, proud of his creature, then serenely walked away, aiming at Pan's so said " hidden" refuge in the woods.   
He found himself thinking about Belle, forcedly asleep in their house. He couldn't risk her life, not now that he had found her again. He was sure that he would have died in Neverland, and he probably would have, if Shaya hadn't helped them. He was powerful, but the prophecy was clear. He had been very lucky to find Shaya in Neverland, and, moved by an unusual sense of sharing, he had told her, that morning on the island, when he had took a walk with the warrior while the others were still sleeping. He had told her everything about the prophecy, and she had laughed on it and asked him if he wanted to come back to that Storybrooke. He had nodded, and she had said that, if Rumplestiltskin wanted to do something, then not even destiny could stop him. And he had never felt so grateful with someone. Well, except for Belle. A warm sensation had raised in his chest, something close to love, yet it wasn't it. And in that moment he had understood, even though it was more like remembering something, that she was his friend. His only friend. And she fixed things, and people. And that day she had fixed him. From that morning on he knew that he would have seen Belle again. Not that he could stop being afraid that it wouldn't happen, that was impossible, but he had hoped that he would have looked again in those bright, gorgeous, smiling blue eyes.   
Exactly the opposite he could think about a couple of hostile dark-green eyes.   
All because of a certain woman, the same woman who froze as she saw him, appearing from behind a low hill, smirking at her. She was standing in the middle of a little camp, filled with tents made of woods, ferns and moss, open-mouthed. She held a gun in her right hand, and she suddenly aimed it at him.  
“ Don't move!” she intimated, but her voice was shaking, as her body. Rumplestiltskin pursed his lips and opened his arms, dropping the cane.   
“ Why, dearie? I'm just an unarmed man, can't you see?” he asked with a smile, lifting his brows. Tamara swallowed, tightening the grab in the gun.  
“ You're the Dark One, you yourself are a weapon.” she said between her teeth. She was terrorized, and Rumple felt his eyes glitter at that awareness.  
He gave a nod. “ Well then...” he stepped forward, descending the hill.   
“ Stay still!” Tamara warned him, but he ignored her, going on speaking.  
“ ...if you're so informed about me, you should know...”   
“ Rumplestiltskin, stay still or I shot, I swear!”  
“ ... that poor damage a gun can make me...”   
“ Mr. Gold!”   
Tamara's gun was pushed against Rumple's chest by now but, when she pulled the trigger, nothing happened. The Dark One smiled.  
“ ... dearie.”  
Tamara pulled and pulled the trigger again, uselessly. Rumplestiltskin tilted his head, the raised a hand, closed in a fist. When he opened it, the bullets shined in his palm.   
“ Yet I thought you were fast shooting, Tamara.”   
The woman looked at him in horror, then tried to walk back, but she stumbled on what was left of a campfire, falling on her back.  
“ Please, Mr. Gold, please, I didn't mean to...”   
“ Actually, I guess you did, dearie...” he interrupted her, dropping the bullets. They fell before her feet, hitting a stone, startling her.  
Tamara tried to shrank form him. “ N-no, please, I was forced to shot him...”  
“ Forced?” the Dark One angrily asked, gritting his teeth. He raised a hand, and his cane flew to it. He grabbed it, stepping forward, and quickly pushed it against Tamara's throat, stopping her going back. The woman grasped the cane, trying to move it, trying to breathe, but Rumplestiltskin was stronger, and held it where it was.  
“ Forced, uh?” he repeated, leaning forward, making her goggle in pain, careful not to kill her yet. “ That's not what Emma has told me.”   
Tamara opened her mouth trying to speak, but Rumplestiltskin shook his head with a devilish chuckle.   
“ Oh, no, dearie. You may have fooled Bae with your lies, but I won't listen to your falsehoods a second more.”   
He slightly waved his free hand, and the bullets lifted in the air, making Tamara widen her eyes. She frantically shook her head, crying, trying to escape, but the Dark One's magic held her on the ground. The bullets slowly flew towards her body, and soon they were pressing against her belly and chest, making her moan in pain, the only sound she could emit with the cane pressed against her throat. Rumplestiltskin moved the free hand forward, and the bullets entered the skin, digging through her flesh, causing her suffocated screams. No bullet touched her heart.   
She passed out before that the bullets could kill her, much to the Dark One's disappoint.  
He left her there, walking away with an old ballad he thought he didn't remember in his head. Yet he used to sing it to Regina in her cradle to put her to sleep, when Henry wasn't around. 

No love thy heart shall wit  
Ruth maiden   
Darkness' bride  
But thou and I   
Thou and I

For his heart she'll take  
And thy will die  
But thou and I   
Thou and I

For his heart she'll take  
Her wrath to slake  
But thou and I   
Thou and I 

Red spark in the dark  
No reign under a broken heart  
But thou and I   
Thou and I 

Your voice, the vengeance   
The darkness' brilliance   
And thou and I   
Thou and I

Thy life I seize  
My wrath to appease  
So thou and I   
Thou and I 

 

“ Where is he?”   
Regina looked around, but Finnegan wasn't in sight. Cruella was playing the flute, but the werewolf seemed not to answer to her call. And it was impossible. He had to come there, just as any other werewolf.   
“ Cruella...” Regina lowly said, glaring at her. The Slayer showed her her teeth.  
“ It's not my fault, your Majesty, he must have found a way to...”  
“ Well play that damn flute louder then!”   
Cruella hissed at her, but then closed her lips around the bone and began playing the flute again.  
Regina glanced at Shaya, who looked worried just as she was. The battle had ended, the road was covered in the bodies of the Lost Boys. Only one was missing. Two, counting Tamara, but if she knew Rumplestiltskin, and she knew him, she was already dead.  
None of them had died instead. Hook and Charming were seriously injured, and Charming was to become a werewolf, but, let alone a deep tiredness, all of the others were fine. Mostly Snow White, who wasn't even tired, with Regina's disappointment. They were all gathered under the clock tower, waiting for the last survivor to come up. Regina had found herself quite surprised: they had put her in the middle of the little crowd, totally protected, together with Emma. It was logical, yes, because them two were the ones who had worked the hardest, yet she didn't expect it. Except for Whale, who had taken David and Hook to the hospital after that she had stopped the pirate's bleeding, her army was protecting her. And her army was composed by Shaya, and that was okay, but there were also Cruella, back to back with her, Widow Lucas, Red Riding Hood, (Snow's best friend, for God's sake!), the Seven freaking Dwarves, Archie, who was mysteriously unharmed, and above all Snow White. The princess was right before her, turned back, ready to throw her last arrow.   
All of them looked and looked around while the music streamed through the air, now free from the mist, but Finnegan wasn't showing.   
Regina was quivering for the tension. None was safe with the werewolf around, even more seen that, evidently, he had a plan.   
“ Maybe he just ran away...” Emma tried to suggest, but Regina shrugged off her try with a grouchy gesture.   
“ Sure, because he wouldn't revenge his brothers, don't you think? He's so forgiving...”   
Emma glared at her. “ Hey, just because you're hella vindictive it doesn't mean that he has to be, too!”  
Regina rolled her eyes. “ The fact that he wants to kill me slowly because I didn't kill Cruella more than thirty years ago tells you something?”  
Emma opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, and finally clenched it. Regina gave a nod of satisfaction and turned to watch the road again. But Emma wasn't done with her conjectures.  
“ Maybe we scared him. We got to kill Steven and Robert, after all...”   
Regina repressed a sigh. “ Finnegan doesn't get scared. He gets angry.”   
There was a brief yet heavy silence that followed her words, enough to make Regina turn to look Emma in the eyes.   
“ What?” the brunette harshly asked her. The Savior blinked, but glanced down and shook her head.  
“ Nothing. You're right, he's probably around, waiting for us to drop our guard.” she muttered, looking away.   
Regina nodded, pursuing her lips. “ Why so embarrassed, Emma, you can even say it, I don't bite. “   
The Savior looked at her in confusion. Fake confusion. Regina repressed a smile.   
“ What?”   
“ That I'm right because I'm like him.”   
“ You're nothing like him.”   
Regina had just had the time to say the sentence that Shaya had intervened. She was turned back, guarding her left side, her longsword that quietly shined in the morning light.  
Regina gave a smirk, even though she couldn't see it.   
“ You don't know him.”   
Shaya shrugged.   
“ I know you.”   
Regina clearly felt her heart skip a beat, or two. She wanted to say something, she really wanted it, but her tongue was like a stone, heavy and inert. She really couldn't get used to that faith in her.   
Emma gave her a nudge, catching her attention, then began to gesticulate with animosity, repeatedly pointing Shaya out to her.   
" Say something" she mouthed, still indicating the warrior.   
Regina arched an eyebrow. _You look like a turkey trying a foxtrot, you know, Miss Swan?_  
The blonde's face fell together with her shoulders. Regina slightly shook her head in disapproval, pursuing her lips.  
 _Yet you should quite remember that you can use magic._  
 _And you look like a cold-hearted bitch with a super-duper-cute girlfriend, Mills._ Emma thought narrowing her eyes in a mute challenge.  
Regina couldn't help swallowing and immediately worryingly gazing at Shaya. She looked relaxed, to be one who expected to be attacked by a werewolf in moments. Maybe she didn't expect an answer. She knew her, after all. She exposed her thoughts to Emma, who rolled her eyes, shaking her head.  
 _Goddamit, Regina! Did you expect that answer? No, you didn't, but wasn't it cute?_  
The former Queen thought about it. She would say it had been heartwarming more than cute, but the concept was the same: she had to answer, even though now it looked to be a little late to do it.  
 _It's never too late, don't worry._ Emma murmured in her head, making her look at her: her thoughts were dark, blue. Neal's face flashed in Regina's mind like in Emma's. The Savior glanced down, pale. Regina didn't even realize that she had put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, gently squeezing it. Emma looked at her with an astonished face, and only in that moment the brunette realized what she was doing. She embarrassedly took off the hand and looked away, swallowing.  
“ You'll get over it.” she said, obstinately looking at the empty road beyond Snow's shoulder, making everyone glance at her, as anyone had spoken for a while until she did. She saw Emma weakly nod out of the corner of her eye. A sudden memory of Daniel, of the last time she had seen him, invaded her mind. A far pain, slight as it had never been, lightly touched her heart. She widened her eyes in surprise: every single time she had thought of him an unbearable pain had crunched her heart, and shattered her mind. Every single time. She had never found relief, or felt that distant sense of nostalgia, painful, yes, yet sweet, as a simple memory of good past time, as if he was still there. She still missed him, but... Regina gazed at Shaya.   
_Then love again..._  
Three words. Regina smiled. She knew the answer now.  
“ I love you.”

That unforeseen voice startled her. Let alone what it had expressed. Shaya suddenly turned to look at Regina. It wasn't the right circumstance to make her move, was it? She accidentally crossed Snow's angry stare while turning, so she glanced at her. The Princess looked away, pretending to stretch her neck. Shaya's attention came back to her love with a sneer. Just the day after, on a certain book, she had found out a thing.  
“ Apple of my eye...” she said, not hiding her amusement. Regina at first furrowed her brow, then her eyes shined bright and she visibly stifled a laughter. Shaya had to use all of her skills not to laugh, seen Snow White's furious glare at her. “ ... for how I can appreciate your words, this is not the right moment for us to share our reciprocal sentiments, and you know it well. I'm saying this because, if you wouldn't accomplish my request to postpone that much desired exchange of words, I could easily get distracted and so be unable to protect your person from that iniquitous creature that I find hard to call werewolf.”  
Regina couldn't hide a smile, and Shaya didn't want to hide everything she was feeling, that almost uncontainable mix of emotions, so intense and beautiful that she felt like if she could explode in a moment. So she let her eyes show it, and, judging by her face, she knew that Regina had seen. But still the warrior was worried, she couldn't allow herself another distraction. Finnegan was enough to kill them all, seen that Cruella's magic didn't seem to work on him. They were exhausted, unlike him, who didn't fight until then.   
Shaya gave Regina a last glance before turning. She rubbed her eyes, then focused again on the buildings in front of her. Shops, for the most part. And there was none there. Not even on the roof, she had watched it all along. On the roof...   
Shaya suddenly turned, looking at the clock tower. Her heart skipped a beat. A dark silhouette was on the roof above their head, half-hidden behind the tower. The werewolf was crouched on the rooftop of the library, a hand on the wall of the tower, the pointed ears pricked towards them, his dark-brown fur slightly moving with the light wind, shining in the morning sun. He noticed her stare, and bared his fangs.   
“ Ruuun!” Shaya shouted, already pushing Regina and Emma away. A moment of panic after everyone understood what was happening and began to run away, but Finnegan was already mid-air. Cruella, who had stayed there standing, furiously playing the flute while the others were still trying to get the situation, had now dropped the apparently useless instruments and had jumped, her mouth opened in a growl, not different from Finnegan's, trying to reach the werewolf before he could touch the ground. They were about to collide when the werewolf stretched a hand and threw something to the Slayer. Something silver sparkled around Cruella, then she disappeared. Finnegan did a complex twisting to avoid the pixie dust and gracefully landed on the asphalt. He then moved a foot and seemed to smash a bug.   
Shaya saw Snow cover her mouth with her hand, in shock, at the corner of her eyes.  
The warrior glanced at the group while Finnegan turned to look at them. They were frightened, they didn't know what to do. For a moment Shaya met Regina's scared gaze, and it was enough. She turned, put herself before all of them and whirled her sword.   
“ Formation!” she barked, locking gaze with the werewolf. He was slowly walking towards them. Shaya clenched her jaws. She glanced behind her shoulder: they had obeyed. She turned with a nod.  
“ Snow!” she said.   
An arrow was shot, but Finnegan avoided it.   
“ Granny!”  
Three darts flew towards the werewolf in rapid succession, yet none of them wounded the hybrid. He was getting closer.  
Shaya groaned. She tightened the grip on the sword.   
“ Back!” she commanded, but she stayed still where she was. Finnegan was ten steps away.  
“ Not without you.” Regina steadily objected, throwing fire at the werewolf. He barely noted it, just like Robert, even though the fur on his chest was burning.   
Shaya locked gaze with her and time suddenly slowed down as any other sound but their breaths disappeared. The warrior looked in those dark eyes. Determination and fury made them shine and darkened them at the same time. Shaya lost herself in that stare for the infinite time of a heartbeat, then swallowed and ran at the werewolf. 

“ No! Shaya!”   
Regina's scream caused a shiver to run fast and violent through Emma's spine. The Savior helplessly watched the warrior run at the werewolf, twice as tall as she was, his claws already stretched towards Rapunzel, his chops opened while he jumped, ready to tear her to pieces. But he stopped mid-air. Emma saw a movement at her left, and the werewolf was pulled down by an invisible force and violently crashed against a car. Emma gazed at Regina: she was panting, but a sneer tensed her lips. She moved again her hands, and the werewolf was lifted in the air again, then thrown down again, and again, and again, unless the former Mayor faltered, exhausted, and Emma had to hold her up.   
Rapunzel, who had been standing in the middle of the road, staring at Finnegan while he was tossed around, immediately got close to the wounded werewolf and raised her sword. Emma glanced at Regina, but in the same moment the brunette goggled and stretched a hand, screaming: “ No!”  
Emma turned just in time to see Rapunzel hit a car, shattering its window and denting the door. She then fell down on her belly, immobile.  
Finnegan stood up, even though it was evident that he could barely do it. He probably had all of his bones broken, yet he was rapidly healing.   
It all happened too quickly: Emma couldn't hold Regina: she pushed her away in the haste to run to Rapunzel, but she was slow doing it, and Finnegan intercepted her. The werewolf hit the former Queen with his claws, laying her flat. It was then that Emma felt it: the power streamed through her veins from her heart, making her heartbeat and breath accelerate, and at the same time taking the air out of her body, as if that enormous pressure that she was feeling was suffocating her from the inside. Emma knew that there was only one thing that she could do: let it go.   
The Savior raised her hands towards the werewolf, who was lifting a hand, ready to administer Regina the coup de grâce. A blast of pure light hit Finnegan, making her squint for the intensity of the light.   
Emma had never felt so free: the feeling of the power streaming through her body and her hands, flowing in the air, releasing her from that burden that was her contained, immense power, now she knew it. She had been a fool. She had tried to hold the ocean into a glass, plugging it with her hand. The water had always filtered, but now...   
The Savior slowly closed her hands. The light gradually decreased while the flow was becoming fainter. She had to stop, her energies were blowing over. When the light disappeared, leaving only the sun's, which now seemed weak confronted to it, there was nothing left where Finnegan was standing a few moments before.  
The silence lasted exactly thirty seconds, so deep that Emma heard the clicks of the clock tower's cogs beat the time. Then Archie's voice made her blink and turn.  
“ Emma, come here! She needs your help!”   
The Savior ran where Regina was lying on the ground. Archie was kneeled next to her, pressing his hands against her belly. There was blood, much blood. Emma fell on her knees next to the brunette, specular to Archie's position.  
Regina was white on her face, and her breath was irregular. As Emma fell down, she grabbed her hand.   
“ Emma...” she whispered, coughing then. A stain of blood mixed with the lipstick.  
The Savior bent forward, holding back the tears.   
“ Sshhh, shut the fuck up, Regina! Don't waste energies...”   
Regina gave a weak smirk between two broken breaths.   
“ Tell Henry that I love him...”  
“ You'll tell him, idiot! Tell me how to save you, instead! “   
Regina wasn't listening. She moved her head, stretching her neck, watching something behind her, over Emma. The Savior turned. Rapunzel was a step away, still unconscious, but she was breathing. The blonde stared again at the brunette.  
“ She's fine, for God's sake! You're not!”   
The former Mayor locked gaze with her again, but her stare was dull, far.  
“ Tell her, too...” she muttered. Her body began to shake slightly, her breaths became even shorter.   
“ Regina.” Emma called her. She leaned a hand on her face, but the brunette didn't react. Inside her chest, it was like if someone was slowly pulling her soul out of her. But it wasn't her soul, it was the link between her and Regina, and it was becoming thinner and thinner.   
“ Regina!” Emma shouted slapping her, but she didn't move. The tears began to flow away as the energy out of her, out of Regina.   
“ No!”   
The desperate, scraping cry startled Emma. Rapunzel rushed next to her, taking Regina's face between her hands, weeping. “ Regina, Regina open your eyes! Look at me! Please, Regina... “ the warrior franticly said, her voice lowering with each word. She looked at the wounds, four bleeding gashes, visible even under Archie's hands, then repeatedly blinked and desperately looked at Emma.  
“ You can do it! Emma, please, concentrate! You must save her!”   
The Savior was speechless. She didn't know what to do. Rapunzel was wrong. She couldn't do it.  
“ I don't know how...” she murmured.   
“ You don't need the knowledge! You're not like us! You don't use magic, you are magic! Please, Emma... please... try...”   
Emma gazed down at the dying woman. Regina never looked vulnerable, so seeing her in that condition, feeling her so distant and faint, made something click inside Emma. She put her hands above Archie's, sensing the warm blood wet her skin, and motioned for him to move his hands. She quickly pressed against the wounds, the blood that streamed through her fingers, and closed her eyes.  
“ Come on...” she murmured, squeezing her eyes in the effort to push out of her what lasted of her power.” Come on, Regina... I know you're here, hold on... help me...”   
A wave of magic ran through her hands as a weak light flashed in her mind. Emma felt Regina's presence in her heart and grabbed that sensation, letting her energy flow towards the woman, ignoring the dizziness that was beginning to a make her falter.   
Emma felt as if the flow of magic was beginning to decrease, becoming intermittent, irregular, weak. She forced herself to keep her eyes shut, to see again that darkness and that faint spot of dark light that Regina's heart was, but the sounds around her were coming back, and the darkness was stained with sun rays.  
Emma opened her eyes.  
She found herself leaning against someone next to her, Ruby, she found out, who was holding her, impeding her to crumple to the ground. The Savior was totally strengthless. She could barely keep her eyes open.   
“ Regina...” she slurred, uselessly trying to focus the brunette.  
“ You stopped her bleeding, Em.” Ruby said, rubbing her shoulder as to comfort her. Ruby said something else, but her voice faded away with the light as Emma passed out.

Emma's head fell dropped against her shoulder. “ Em?” Red called her, moving the blonde a bit.   
“ Emma?” Snow worryingly called her. Red looked at her friend.   
“ She's fine, Snow. She's just sleeping.”   
“ The hell she's sleeping! She fainted!” Snow growled, angrily looking at Regina. Ruby did, too, but she couldn't stare at the immobile body. Rapunzel caught her attention: she was bent over the brunette, holding her hand, caressing her face, whispering in her ear desperate words between the sobs. She was shaking, and she looked totally overwrought, unable to think, let alone to act.   
Ruby looked at Snow again. She somehow felt her stare, and locked gaze with her. Behind that cold, angry look, there was pity in her eyes. Ruby slightly smiled at her, innerly relieved. She thought she had lost her friend but, no, Snow was still there. She was just angry.   
“ Let's move her to the hospital.” Red said with a nod towards Regina. “ Victor will take care of her.”  
She moved, motioning to Archie to carry Emma for her. The shrink moved to do it, but Snow's steady voice stopped him.  
“ No.” she said. She locked gaze with Ruby again. There was anger in those eyes, sadness, and resignation. Ruby swallowed hard while a cold fear rushed through her spine.   
“ Snow, she'll die if we don't hurry up...”  
Snow White's stare stayed firm while the silence thickened as everyone waited for her decision.   
“ Rumplestilstskin!” she loudly said, startling everyone. She then gave a quick, tensed smile towards Ruby, while a dark fog forewarned of the Dark One's coming.  
“ She'll die if we move her. Emma stopped the bleeding, but the wounds are still deep. We'd risk to reopen them before we get her to the hospital.” she quickly explained.   
While she was talking, Rumplestiltskin had materialized next to her. He immediately saw Regina and her wounds. The Dark One clenched his jaws, paling. Ruby lifted her brows in surprise. She really didn't know that he was attached to her. He waved a hand while speaking, and the wounds disappeared.  
“ Who did this to her?”   
Ruby heard Snow answer him, but she was all eyes on the former Queen. Rapunzel franticly looked at the smooth belly, visible under the teared armor, then stared at Regina's face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb, not even breathing while she waited for her to open her eyes. Ruby felt her eyes fill with tears. She had never seen someone look at someone else that way, as if Rapunzel could only breath if Regina was looking at her, and she was desperately and yet hopefully waiting for her to notice it and open her eyes and save her from suffocating.   
And Regina opened her eyes.  
“ Shaya...” she murmured in a feeble voice, staring at the warrior with a confused face.  
Rapunzel couldn't hold a smile, and pressed her lips against Regina's, crying.   
“ I'm here.” Ruby, and probably only her, heard her answer. “ It's fine, my love, don't worry. You're fine...” the warrior's voice broke, and she began crying uncontrollably again, next to Regina's face, her forehead leaning on the ground.   
Regina moved a trembling hand and gently leaned it on Rapunzel's nape, turning her head as to be able to look at her.  
“ Hey, I'm fine...” she whispered, rubbing the blonde's neck. She then moved her hand on her cheek, evidently trying to make her turn to look at her, but Rapunzel just passed an arm under her shoulders and partially raised her to hug her, hiding her face against the brunette's shoulder.  
At the sight of Regina's smile, Ruby had to cover her mouth with a hand to manage to stifle a sob. She didn't even know why she was feeling that moved by that scene, but she felt about to explode. Maybe it was because of Rapunzel. For what she had been through to come to that moment. She had understood that woman from the first time she had seen her, and since that day she knew that she lived for Regina. So, seeing the former Queen correspond her love, her devotion, maybe it was that that was filling her chest with that bomb of emotions. She was happy for her, as she'd been happy for Snow when she had married David. Yes, she had felt the same that day, after all. But Snow was her best friend, practically her sister, it was normal to feel that way. She had barely talked thrice with Rapunzel. Nah, but she knew her, and she admired her. Her bravery, her strength, her ability to smile and make everyone smile, even the Evil Queen, even the Dark One. Rapunzel was a friend, and she was damn happy for her, and there was absolutely nothing strange with it. She was kissing her True Love, they all had won a war, fighting together, protecting each other, and they were all alive. Everything was fine. Then why did she want to cry so hard?


	26. Blood stains

Regina entered the mansion with a tired sigh. She gave a look at herself: the black armor was all covered in blood, and the four rips were highly visible over her intact belly.   
She gazed at the stairs. “ Henry!” she called him out, a hint of fear clenching her stomach. Shaya joined her after the recognition around the mansion, in search of any survivor with bad intentions. The warrior shook her head, and Regina nodded once. “ We're back home, sweetie! Operation Wolf is accomplished! We're safe!”   
Regina heard the sound of a door opening, then fast steps, Henry's steps. She was already smiling, relieved, and walking towards the staircase. Henry ran down the stairs and jumped on her. She hugged him tight, holding back the tears. She had risked not to see him ever again. She couldn't even stand the simple thought.   
“ Mom! I was so scared! Why did it take so long? Are you fine? Did they hurt you?” he spoke rapidly, overlapping the words, moving her to check her. He touched the rips on her armor.  
“ Mom!” he screamed, looking at her in shock.   
Regina couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She caressed his cheek and crouched.” I'm fine, my little Prince, don't worry.”   
Henry hesitated just a second, then launched between her arms, holding her tight, trying to hide under her neck his crying. She held him tight, pressing his tiny, strong body against hers, rubbing his back to comfort him, repeating to him that she was fine, that he didn't have to worry, that they were safe. She couldn't believe that he was that worried, that scared for her. And she didn't want him to be it: she wanted to see him smile, not cry. It killed her, even if she was happy that he cared that much about her. That he loved her.   
A red sleeve surrounded Henry's shoulders together with her arms. Regina turned her head to look at Emma at the same time with Henry, slightly smiling at her.  
“ Momma!” Henry hugged her too, leaving Regina with just one arm around her neck.   
“ Hey, kid! How are you? “   
“ I was home just waiting, you fought! How are _you_?”  
Regina laughed together with Emma.   
“ Fine, fine. We're all fine, don't worry. “ the Savior answered.  
“ Waiting can be exhausting.” Regina objected, leaning back her head to look at the boy. He pursued his lips and shrugged.  
“ I'm fine now.”   
Regina proudly smiled at him. He was a strong, brave boy.   
Regina stood up, even though she would have stayed there just cuddling him her whole life.  
“ Sweetie, give me your shirt, I stained it.” she said, raising a hand. She was too tired to use magic again to wash the blood away, she had to use soap and water this time.   
Henry took off his shirt and handed it to her. “ Gotta take another.” he said before rushing upstairs.  
Regina looked at Emma, who stood up in turn.  
“ Emma, you... you can stay the night, if you want. Henry would be happy if you did. I have a spare room. “ she said to her, trying not to blush. She couldn't help gazing at Shaya, who had goggled at her. Did she really think that she'd have let her sleep alone in that room again? Sometimes Regina was sure that the warrior still didn't believe that she loved her. Regina smiled at her, and Shaya adorably blushed, glancing down. Regina couldn't repress a smile.   
“ Ehm, dunno, maybe it's better if he comes at Mary Margaret's tonight...”   
Regina suddenly turned to lock gaze with the Savior, glaring at her, yet with the shadow of a smile around her lips. Emma was sneering, after all. “ Do you really think that I'd shock my son in such a vulgar way, Miss Swan? I'm not one of the Charmings...” she remembered to her with a mocking smile. Emma blushed, but didn't look away, actually she grinned at the former Mayor.  
“ Are you out of your mind, Mills? You're family now. You _are_ one of the Charmings.”   
Regina narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but Henry ran down the staircase, jumping the last three stairs, and widely smiled at them.   
“ So are you staying tonight, momma?”   
Emma glared at him, but ruffled his hair. “ You sneaky nosy parker! Would you like it?”   
Henry grinned vigorously nodding. Emma burst into laughter. “ So be it! “ She then narrowed her eyes towards Regina in a fake challenging look. “ I'll pick some apples for breakfast tomorrow morning.” she sneered.  
Regina stifled a laughter, but raised a threatening finger towards the Savior. “ Don't you dare, sister.”   
There was a moment of silence before that both of them bursted into laughter, even though they were too tired to make it last.  
Emma sighed. “ Okay then, I'll go take a shower and pick my stuff for the night. I'll be here in a hour, then we all can go lunch? I'm already angry.” she pressed her lips in a smile, shrugging.” And then we could go visiting David and Hook.” she added with a forced indifferent tone.   
“ With your yellow death trap, I suppose.” Regina teased her.  
“ It's not my fault if your Mercedes is a mess!”   
“ It is, seen that you were the one who had to hold still the werewolf!”  
“ I...”  
“ Alright, ladies! Stop it.” Shaya tiredly intervened, just in time. Regina was really getting angry. She liked that car.  
“ Hey, she began!” Emma said pointing at Regina.  
“ You let him destroy my car!”   
“ "Destroy"! It just has some scratches...”   
“ Some scratches?! The right window is gone, the hood is a mess, the wheels are gone...”   
“ Regina!” Shaya loudly said, then tensely smiling at her. “ Regina...” she repeated, lowering the tone. “... love of my life, it's just a car. You can fix it in a moment. What's the matter?”   
Regina muted. She didn't know it. She was just angry, but she wasn't really angry. And then she suddenly realized it: she was afraid. She was trying to defend herself again with anger, as she always did. But the truth was that she had been terrorized on that ground, with life streaming out of her, and, yes, even angry, because she couldn't even tell Shaya that she loved her before passing out, and Henry, and because that weasel had claimed the right to take her life now that she could finally be happy. After all of those years, all of those tries, she had seen her happy ending slide away from her, and she had felt helpless, just like when her mother had ripped Daniel's heart out and crashed it. She had hated it, laying in the ground, gazing at the blue sky, she had hated it and she had hated Finnegan for having being faster and smarted than her, and herself for having being that silly and arrogant to think that she could run faster than a werewolf. But more than this, she hated herself for being that frightened to die. She had never been. She had never had something to lose. Henry hated her, Shaya was lost somewhere, just a distant memory, and Emma was just another enemy to defeat. But now...  
“ Hey.” Shaya leaned forwards, cupping her face between her hands. Regina looked at her in surprise. “ Talk to me. I've almost lost you today, I'm not in the conditions to stand your silent suffering.” she slightly, sadly smiled. Her voice had been so sweet that had brought tears to Regina's eyes. She felt guilty for having made her feel cut out of her life again. Shaya looked worn out: she had bags under her eyes, that were reddened, and she moved as if even just standing was a great effort for her. Moreover, Regina really didn't want to hide her her feeling. Actually there was nothing she wanted to hide to her. She wanted to share everything with her, but she didn't know how.  
Regina had to search deep inside herself to find the right words. The only possible ones.   
“ I'm sorry. I was trying to find the answer myself, I didn't know it before you asked me.” the former Queen took a deep breath, worryingly looking at the warrior. But Shaya slightly smiled, wiping away any fear, any embarrass to talk openly about herself in front of Emma.   
“ So you know it, now?”   
Regina nodded once. “ I was angry because I felt... vulnerable, today. I didn't want to die. I was afraid. I have much to lose.” she added in a murmur, smiling. Shaya moved to hug her, but Regina stopped her raising a hand. “ Wait. I hadn't finished yet.”   
Shaya frowned, a little of worry narrowing her eyes. “ Sorry.” she said stepping back.  
Regina shook her head with a smirk. How much patience that woman could have?  
The former Queen turned her head to look at the Savior. Emma was watching them with something similar to surprise on her face. When Regina looked at her, she gave a start as if she had just caught her spying them.  
“ I owe you an apology, Emma. I was childish.”   
Emma raised her brows in total surprise, open-mouthed. “ Hem, ah... o-okay.”   
Regina frowned. It wasn't the first time that she apologized with her, so why was she that surprised?   
“ What's the matter?” the brunette asked, narrowing her eyes.  
Emma hesitated a second, then shrugged. “ What? Nothing. “   
Regina rose an eyebrow, skeptic. She didn't have the "superpower", but she wasn't an idiot. She didn't need to say it loud.   
“ Okay, okay, relax. It's just that your sudden change of mood surprised me. Usually, if you get angry, you stay angry. Like, you know, for decades.” Emma sneered.   
Regina had to hold back a smile. She wasn't wrong, after all. The former Queen glanced at the warrior, who locked gaze with her, entrapping her look in those fresh, calm waters of her eyes, holding her there, in a warm, safe place.  
“ Someone remembered me that I don't need to be angry anymore.” Regina said, not even she knew to who.   
She saw Emma roll her eyes at the corner of her eyes. “ You complain about Mary Mar... Snow White and Prince Charming, and then you do the same.” the Savior said, grinning. Regina glared at her, but glanced at Henry, who had just listened to them, smiling all along. She winked at him and mustered up the courage.  
“ Those two idiots aren't enough to be compared to me.” she said, lifting her chin with air of superiority, but just half hiding a smile. Henry's laugh was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.   
“ Language, Miss Mills.” Emma scolded her, pretending to be her, apparently. She wasn't good at it, not even a bit. That voice was nothing like hers, let alone that sulky pout. Henry laughed even louder, however, and Shaya stifled a laughter, gaining a glare from the brunette.  
“ You'd better get out of my mansion if you want to be in time for lunch, Miss Swan. Your princess' hair would need more attentions from you. Perhaps you should start today, before you have to cut it at mine's length.” Regina sneered, narrowing her eyes. Emma had been enough distracted during the battle to let flow all of her thoughts out of her mind. It was a miracle that none else was listening, or they'd be all dead. But, apart from their battle plans, Regina had felt her admiration for her haircut. She would have never suspected it. The curse had been a great hairstylist, however, she had to admit it, even only because of Snow White ugly haircut.   
Emma paled a little, but pretended indifference. Regina couldn't allow it. Before that the Savior could say a word, she spoke again. “ But I don't think you'd mind?”   
Emma stayed open-mouthed. She was fucked, and she knew it. She couldn't deny, or she would have offended her, and she couldn't agree, or she'd have to admit that she liked her hairdo. Regina couldn't hold back a victorious smile.   
Emma tried to answer three times, but everytime she renounced and closed her mouth, only to open it again. She couldn't contain herself in the end.  
“ Oh, to hell with it! You already know it, don't ya?”   
Regina nodded once, grinning.   
Emma made an annoyed gesture, grumbling something under her voice. Regina stifled a laughter.   
“ I'm afraid I don't know it, little Prince. “ Shaya answered to some silent question Henry had asked to her.   
Regina couldn't let that occasion pass by. “ We're talking about my haircut, dear.” she explained to her son, glancing at his furious mother. “ Your mother seems to highly appreciate it.”   
Henry frowned. “ And what's the matter with it?”   
Regina shrugged, enjoying Emma's face. “ She would have never admitted it.”   
“ Why?”   
Regina gazed at the Savior, waiting for her answer. There was something strange in her look, but she looked at Henry, hiding it.   
“ Because... because... Ah, it's complicated, kid. You'll get it when you'll be older. “   
Henry arched an eyebrow. “ Yeah, sure.”  
“ Really!” Emma squeaked, frowning.   
“ You don't wanna tell me because you think I wouldn't understand because I'm a kid.” Henry said, pouting and glaring at the Savior.   
Regina rolled her eyes. He was bloody suspicious. It had to be Emma's DNA. And her influence, too, maybe.  
“ Henry, I really don't know how to explain it to you!”  
“ Yeah, sure.”   
Emma was speechless. Henry didn't believe her. Regina knew how she was feeling. She sighed, then leaned a hand on Henry's shoulder to make him lock gaze with her.  
“ Sweetheart, it's not about you, or your age. Emma is right, it is complicated, it would just be a long, boring and useless talk, because we were just kidding. It's about pride and... Maybe just pride, after all?” she asked to Emma, who thought a bit about it before shrugging.  
“ Maybe.”   
“ See, there's nothing that you can't understand. You lived with me for ten years, you know something about pride, don't you?” Regina smiled to her son. His gaze sweetened, but he was still pouting.   
“ But she said that I'll get it when I'll be older...”   
“ She meant that you'll get it by your own when you'll be older, because you'll have more experience with the adults's stupidities.”   
“ Reading books can help, little Prince. Trust me.” Shaya intervened, secretly winking at Regina while smiling at Henry.   
How on earth did she manage to make her feel always grateful for her to be there?   
Henry gave a smirk. “ Yeah, I noted.” He then looked at Emma, his face full of regret. “ Sorry.” he murmured, blushing.   
Emma bursted into a laughter and hugged him tight, eying Regina gratefully. She knew that she knew, after all. No one more than her knew it, seen that Henry's lack of faith in Regina was the cause of her arrival to Storybrooke.  
Emma let Henry go. “ Well, better if I go now. See you in a hour.” she said before awkwardly kissing the boy's cheek and running out of the mansion.   
Regina looked at him. “ Sweetie, I need to have a shower, and Shaya is very tired.”   
“ I'm not...”  
“ Shush! Henry, you didn't sleep tonight, and I bet you didn't even this morning. Have a doze, dear. I'll wake you up when Emma comes back. “   
“ But mom, I'm fine!”   
Regina arched an eyebrow. “ I'm your mother, Henry. I can tell when you're fine, and now you're not. You need to rest, as any of us. Now you have one hour with nothing to do, why shouldn't you take advantage of it?”   
“ But I can sleep later, when you do it too!”   
Regina shrugged. “ Sleep now won't prevent you from sleeping later, too. I bet you're tired enough to do the two things without problems.” she smirked at him.  
“ But...” he was beginning to say when Shaya interrupted him.  
“ Regina, I can be with him, there's no problem.” she said, gazing then at her son. “ If you want, obviously.”   
Henry enthusiastically nodded. Regina stared at the woman she loved. She was evidently exhausted, she didn't want her to be it even more. She knew that she was doing it because Henry was her son but for how she could feel guilty, she couldn't help but love her even more. Shaya looked at her, and smiled. She never failed to smile, no matter how tired she could be.  
“ Alright then. “ Regina agreed smiling. “ But don't speak ill of me while I'm upstairs.”   
Shaya sneered, winking at Henry. “ Oh we would never dare, isn't it, young Prince?”   
Henry repeatedly shook his head. “ Never!”   
“ Sure. I'll try to make haste, however.” the former Queen said before walking upstairs.   
She entered the bathroom, turning to lock the door behind her, but then she simply closed it, hiding a smile to the mirror.   
She began to undress, slowly, as every inch of her body was aching. That battle had been truly hard, she had had to use all of her energies to stay alive. The Lost Boys were in numerical advantage as those cowards of George and Mitchell didn't support them, so they could attack each of them from all sides at the same moments. Fortunately, Shaya's defensive strategy had worked, or they'd have been lost.   
Regina unknotted the armored corsage, finally properly breathing. She took off the armor looking at her bare, bloodstained body under it. Her own blood. A few bruises were visible, but except those she was unscathed. She touched her belly, following the invisible lines of the wounds that Rumplestiltskin's magic had made disappear. She owed him her life, and that was a very bad thing.   
Finally free from the heavy armor she turned on the shower and went under the warming spray of water.   
The former Queen sighed loudly, closing her eyes and letting the water wipe away any worry, fear, anger.   
She cleared her mind, breathing the hot, wet air. There was nothing to fear, now. They had saved her. Snow hated her, but Emma had said that she had summoned the Dark One and so saved her. Again, as with Greg. Did she really hate her? Or was she just angry with her? Regina couldn't tell, she had never really understood the girl. She had thought that, with her heart darkening, she could finally get what Snow had in her mind, but she still didn't. Snow White was a mystery, but it wasn't the time to think about it. Now she had to relax, or she would have collapsed.  
When there was nothing but a comfortable emptiness in her mind, she let Henry's laughter in, his smart smile, the way he walked. Regina hugged herself, surrounded by the "magic rain" and the vapor, leaning against the white, cold tiles behind her. She slightly smiled, recollecting Shaya's reaction to the shower. It had been her own when she had used it for the first time, twenty-nine years before.   
The blood didn't seem to want to go away. It stayed on her skin like an old tattoo, taking away her smile. Regina had to use half of the soap pot to be finally clean.   
She got out of the shower, wrapping herself in the soft bath towel. She dried the mirror, then looked at her reflection while passing a hand through her wet hair. She looked tired, yes, but there was something new in her eyes, a light she thought she would have never seen again. Regina smiled at herself and got out of the bathroom.  
“ The shower is free if...” she began to say while walking downstairs, but she stopped as she saw Shaya turn her head and motion to her to lower her voice. “... you want.” Regina ended, walking towards the couch. She moved around it to see that Shaya was sitting on it, gently caressing Henry's head: the boy had fallen asleep on her, his head leaning on her chest, his arms wrapped around her waist. His face was totally relaxed.   
“ He fell asleep. The story I was telling him had to be more boring that I thought.” Shaya whispered with a sleepy smile.  
Regina locked gaze with her, but couldn't answer. There was something that was chocking her, and it was beautiful. Family. She was beginning to understand that she had never really known the real meaning of that word.   
“ Hey...” Shaya whispered. Regina repeatedly blinked, realizing that she was weeping. She dried her eyes.   
“ Sorry, it's just that...” the brunette tried to say, but a wave of feelings stopped the words in the middle of her throat. She significantly waved her hand in the air, pointing at them.   
Shaya gave a little, sad smile. “ I know, I know. “ Her smile suddenly brightened. “ I was just gonna say that you're beautiful.” 

Emma rushed into Mary Margaret's house, knowing that she wasn't inside: her mother was at the hospital, making it up with her dad, hopefully. She had supposed that they needed some time to talk, and only because of that she could resist to go to visit David after lunch. She was hella worried for him, seen that he had been bitten by a werewolf. She had to talk to Ruby, or Granny, or both of them. She needed some further information about werewolf-parents.   
The Savior basically launched herself in the shower and hurriedly scrubbed out Regina's blood from her hands and legs. It had filtered through her jeans when she had kneeled next to her. There was so much of it on the ground...  
Emma squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget that image. For the whole duration of the shower, she thought only about Henry and his happy smile.  
She was getting out of the shower when a weird sensation invaded her. She didn't have the time to understand what it was that the image of Henry sleeping hugged to Rapunzel substituted the sight of Mary Margaret's bathroom. It was just a moment, but it was enough to let her feel what Regina was feeling.   
Emma leaned on the washbasin, trying to regain her balance. She was dizzy, but that happiness hadn't flown away with the vision, leaving her smiling and weeping at the same time. She looked herself in the fogged mirror.   
“ I'm beginning to like magic, you know?” she said, careful to look only at her face. Otherwise it would have been embarrassing. Okay sharing feelings, but she wasn't that close to Regina to let her see her naked body.  
A sassy smile slightly touched her mind.  
 _Nosey parker._  
Emma grimaced to the mirror, then tried to close her mind. She had to put a bathrobe on, she was beginning to be cold. Yet she didn't know how to shut the conversation.  
 _Let me help, dear._  
Emma felt like if Regina had disconnected the power. She still felt her presence, but like if there was a door made of fogged glass between them, and the former Mayor was turned over, beyond that door.  
“ Oh, sure, Hermione...” she murmured with a mocking tone “ If she hears me...” Emma smirked, taking the white bathrobe and putting it on. 

“ There's nothing I can do at this point. We can just wait until the next full moon, and then we'll see if you will turn into a normal werewolf or one like Steven.”   
David frowned. “ You'll have to lock me up.”  
Snow leaned a hand on his shoulder, forgetting for a moment that their relationship could be no more a relationship. As he looked at her, she took back the hand.  
“ Or you could wear Red's coat. You wouldn't transform.” she said, forcing herself to stare back at him. She was so ashamed of herself, of what she had thought and said that she blushed, but she kept staring at him. His eyes were still the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.  
“ But I wouldn't know what I've become.” he objected pursuing his lips. “ I need to know it, Snow. “   
Mary Margaret sighed, sad. She knew that he'd have always stayed the same, but this thing, she knew that it would have somehow changed him. Knowing Ruby was a great thing, she would have helped him, but... What if he'd have failed? What if he had lost control?   
“ I know.” she murmured, finally glancing down. His hand gently took hers, surprising her. Snow looked at her husband.  
“ It will be fine.” he said, smiling. She melted at that stare. “ I know who I am.” he added, squeezing her hand. Snow felt her eyes get wet.   
Whale throat-cleared. “ Well, I'll go see how's Killian, if he woke up. I'm in the next room if you need me.” he said before leaving.  
David, after greeting him, went back looking at her. He was still holding her hand. Seeing him there, sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, remembered her of when he had woken up from the coma, one year before. It seemed crazy that one year had already passed. Snow looked at her man: he was the same, yet he wasn't. As an example, he was wearing his armor, well, half of it, seen that the upper part had been removed in order to medicate his wound, a deep bite on his right shoulder, up to his chest. A large, white bandage covered half of his chest now. The shoulder brace, abandoned on the floor on the side of the bed, was a shrunken piece of scrap iron. It had saved his life.   
Snow realized that she was crying while looking at the shoulder pat. David jumped down from the bed, getting close to her, very close. He cupped her face between his hands, forcing her to look at him.  
“ Hey, I'm fine. I'm here, look at me.” he whispered, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. “ I'm going nowhere.”   
“ B-but I'm a horrible person...”   
David bursted out into brief laughter, shaking his head. “ Perfect! I'm a monster, we're made for each other! “   
Snow frowned, moving to dry her eyes. “ Don't joke, David. I'm serious. I-I thought... I thought that I...”   
“ That you?”   
“ That I disgusted you.” she ended in a whisper, glancing down, or at least trying to do it, as David's hands prevented her from doing it.   
“ Hey, look at me. No, look at me.” he silenced, going on speaking only when she locked gaze with him. “ I love you.” he said, making her burst into tears.  
“ How can you...”  
“ Listen, don't talk. I love you, and nothing, nothing will ever change that. I went away because you had to realize what you were doing to yourself by your own. Because I knew that you could do it. You're stronger than you know, how many times have I to tell you? If I'd stayed, you would have went on looking for my support, and you'd never find back yourself. I was just waiting for you to remember who you are.”   
Snow couldn't possibly understand what David was saying. Was it real? Was he real?  
“ David, I...”   
“ I said don't talk.” he sweetly said before leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers, his warm hands still holding her face.   
Mary Margaret froze for a few seconds, but then the love burnt wild in every fiber of her body, and she grasped to her husband, kissing him back and shedding tears of joy.


	27. Troubles in paradise

“ Regina! Why didn't you tell me before?!”   
“ I just forgot to do it, dear. So many things happened and I...”  
“ No, you don't understand! Have you an idea of how much I missed him? I thought that he was dead! I need to see him!”   
“ Did you really think that I would have killed him?”   
“ No, but, for crying out loud, it's been forty years! For how strong he could be...”   
“ He is, dear. He's fine, I can assure you.”   
Shaya sighed, leaning against the back of the chair, crossing her arms and shaking her head. “ You... you should have told me.” she said, feeling a slight resentment contract her muscles. She angrily stared at the table, not willing to look at the brunette until the rage would go away. She didn't want to be enraged with her, it was just a waste of precious time spent together, but this thing...She had never felt that way towards Regina since the utter day she had threw her to Neverland.   
Regina's hand entered in her field of view, gently touching her arm. “ I'm sorry, Shaya.”   
The warrior looked away, swallowing. It was hard not to look at her when she had that sorry tone, it was hard not to jump on the other side of the table and just hug her, actually. “ Stop calling me that way. My name's Rapunzel, and...”   
“ If your name's Rapunzel, then mine is Evil Queen.”   
Shaya gazed at her, ready to object, but her tiny smile stopped her. She closed her mouth, then glanced down.  
“ I know that you're sorry. I'm just... irritated. I thought that you knew how important is a steed for his rider.” she said, locking gaze again with Regina. The pain she saw in her eyes made her immediately regret her words. The former Queen gave a gentle squeeze at her arm before leaning back against the seat-back.  
“ For irritated you mean disappointed, don't you?”   
Shaya opened her mouth to protest, but Regina was faster speaking.   
“ No, you're right. And it's about time that you notice my flaws, isn't it?”   
“ Regina, I didn't mean...”   
“ Shaya, it's all right! I... Just... I know how much one can love their horse. I just didn't think that you cared so much about yours. I thought that warriors didn't care about them, as you bring them in battle. But I didn't consider that it was your horse, and not anyone's.”   
Shaya sighed again, terribly sorry for having got angry. That argument was somehow painful for Regina, and she surely didn't want to see her suffer again. She leaned on the table, reaching for Regina's hands.   
“ Rocinante isn't here, right?” she asked in a murmur, afraid of the answer. Regina's eyes filled with tears while she nodded once.  
“ Right.” she answered.   
Shaya closed her eyes, bowing her head. “ I'm an idiot.” she grumbled, wishing to disappear. Unfortunately she didn't know that spell.  
“ No!” Regina said with a sort of laugh, making Shaya gaze back at her. “ I am.” she added with a sad smile, still holding back the tears, totally confusing Shaya. There was something she didn't know, and it made her go crazy. She had always known everything about Regina. It had to be something that had happened after the execution of her sentence.  
“ Regina...”  
“ Guys, you remember that we're here, do you?”   
Emma's voice startled the warrior. She turned to look at the Savior and her son, together with Regina. The warrior gave a bright smile at them. “ Sure!” she said, making Henry laugh hard. She frowned. “ What? Why are you laughing?”   
Henry aimed a finger at her while laughing. “ You're lying!”   
Shaya alternated her gaze between him and Emma, who had an excessively satisfied smile on her face. She was looking at Regina, who was staring back at her, her left eyebrow arched.  
“ See? My genes are always visible.” Emma said, making Regina stifle a laughter.   
Red rushed in the diner in that moment after having screeched to a halt her car in front of the entrance. The werewolf headed to the counter giving them a glance. “ Sorry, I made as fast as I could. “ she said to Granny, who simply nodded handing her the red and white apron. As she put it on she went to their table, taking their empty dishes.   
“ Hey, are you okay guys?” she asked while blowing away from her face a disobedient lock of dark hair. She was mostly giving worried glances towards Regina, who looked pretty surprised by it.   
“ Yes.” the brunette hesitantly answered.  
“ Yep.” Emma said while eating the last fried potato before that Red could take her plate.  
Shaya just nodded once at her. “ How are you?” she asked, slightly narrowing her eyes while she concentrated in order to notice any sign of lie. Because she would have lied, she knew it.  
“ Fine!” she enthusiastically said, smiling brightly. There it was. The nervousness was more than justified, but there was no reason to lie to them.  
“ Red.”  
“ Mh?”   
“ It was more like a rhetoric question.”   
“ Oh.”   
Shaya smiled at her. “ It's fine, cub. I know how it feels.”   
Red hesitated a second, then sighed, frowned. “ You know how it feels when your friends, the people you shared your whole life with, risk their life to protect you from a stupid man and his stupider brothers who only want to fuck you?” she blurted out, but under her voice. Hers was a perfectly controlled anger, as it had to be.  
Shaya pursued her lips, stopping Regina immediate reaction quickly crossing her fingers with hers.   
“ We were fighting for you and for ourselves. You're forgetting the larger part of our enemies, the Lost Boys...”   
“ I'm forgetting none of the lives I took, Rapunzel.” she whispered, her nostrils and pupils dilated.   
Shaya had to bow her head. “ Pardon me, it wasn't my intention to offend you. But, friend, you have to realize that what we did was necessary, and it's not your fault if...”   
“ You're telling me that you'd have forgiven me if she'd died?” Red interrupted her, her voice louder than before, but still calm, as her gaze. Shaya had to swallow back the pain. She couldn't even think about it. The warrior involuntarily glanced at the former Queen, who was staring at the waitress.   
“ Miss Lucas...”  
Ruby went on, unwisely ignoring the warning murmur of the former Queen. “ Because it wouldn't have been my fault, uh? We'd be friend, all as before, all fine?”   
“ Red...” Shaya begged her with her eyes. She would have never answered to her until Regina was listening, so it was just an unnecessary painful argument to speak about.  
“ What? If Steven...”   
“ Miss Lucas!” Regina repeated raising her voice. Shaya looked at her. There was danger in her eyes, and Red had to notice it too, because she silenced and stared back at the brunette. “ I am here, I would be grateful if you'd be so respectful to speak directly to me.” Regina tightly continued, her stare firm on the werewolf. “ But, more than this, I'd like you to stop talking about the battle I so hardly tried to keep my son away of. He's already suffered enough because of me, don't you agree?”  
“ Mom...”  
“ And so Shaya did. “  
“ Regina...”  
“ And Emma, too. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to just sit here, and have lunch with my troubled family in peace, without your awkward and unnecessary reminder that today we could have lost one another. Because we didn't. We won, and we must enjoy our more than well-deserved rest.”   
Red was open-mouthed, as any of them actually, but Shaya was even sniggering. Why was Regina so beautiful when she had that authoritarian behavior?   
The brunette confusedly looked at her. Shaya just shook her head, gazing at Red.  
“ Forgive yourself, Cub. And remember that we were just defending.”  
The girl's eyes wetted. She glanced down before basically run away towards the kitchen.   
Shaya loudly sighed, glancing at Regina before gazing at Emma.   
“ It appears that we won't have that dessert you were talking about.” she said with disappoint, making Emma and Henry stifle a laughter. The blonde stood up.  
“ Gotta save the day.” she said winking at Henry before walking towards the counter.  
Regina rubbed her son's shoulder. “ Hey, are you okay?” she asked, sweetness and worry in her dark eyes. Shaya had to look away, or she'd have jumped beyond the table to kiss her. She was simply adorable with that motherly gaze in her eyes.  
“ I'm fine, mom, don't worry.” the child answered “ But one thing.” he added after thinking a bit about it, totally looking like her when she was thinking.  
Regina frowned. “ What is it, sweetie?”   
“ It's just that...” he hesitated, slightly blushing. “ Are you okay? Because I can't get it. “ he finally said, narrowing his eyes.  
Regina, after a moment of surprised hesitation, pressed her lips together in a smile, her eyes wetted, and caressed his cheek. “ I've never been better.”   
“ Watch out guys, I've got four fat ice creams and I really don't know how I could carry them till here without pouring them over...” Emma announced, carefully placing on the table the four glass bowls.   
Shaya took hers, analyzing its unknown contents. The color wasn't particularly inviting, yet the flavor was mouth-watering.   
“ Why is it brown? “ Shaya asked, skeptic.   
Regina shook her head smiling. “ It's just chocolate, dear. All types of it. A caloric bomb, in other words...” she added, mysteriously glaring at Emma. The Savior grimaced at her.  
“ We need energy.” she said like if it was some kind of justification to something.   
“ What's a "caloric bomb"? Should I be worried?” Shaya asked, really confused.  
Emma stifled a laughter.   
“ Only if you're afraid of getting fat.” she answered half laughing.  
Shaya gazed at the mountain of ice cream before her. “ Fat?”   
“ Or diabetic.” Regina scoldingly said towards Henry, who had already almost emptied the bowl. The boy brightly smiled at her.  
“ I feel very ignorant...” Shaya murmured, looking again at the ice cream. “ Must read a book.” she added in a sigh, making Regina softly laugh.  
“ So the great warrior is afraid of an ice cream?” Emma picked at her lifting her brows.   
Shaya looked at her. “ I'm not afraid, I'm suspicious. As any royal before any food.”   
Emma frowned. “ What do you mean?”  
“ Well, poisoning is always a real danger for a royal, especially in young age. So, in my kingdom, we used to have a taster since we were children, and we would never complain, because the stories they told us about poisoned princes and princesses were enough convincing to wait a bit before eating. It's not a thing that goes away with time, trust me. It was quite scary.”  
“ Goddammit, it's traumatizing!” Emma exclaimed, taking a great spoon of ice cream then and managing to eat it all in a once.  
“ I guess...” Shaya commented, taking the spoon and distractingly taking a little of whipped cream with it.  
“ But it was necessary, Emma. Better have a scared son than not having one at all.”   
Regina said the last sentence almost in a distracted murmur, as if she was thinking about something else while talking. Shaya raised her eyes on her, seeing that she was looking at Henry with a guilty face. Fortunately, the boy smiled at her.  
“ Sounds right.” he said, gaining a tiny smile from his adoptive mother and a huge one from his natural one.   
The warrior smiled in turn, finally taking a bit of the soft, brown food and tasting it. She googled in surprise, looking astonishingly at the bowl.   
“ Whoa! This thing is really good! And damn cold, but good!” she exclaimed. Everyone laughed at the table but her, who began eating the ice cream as if it was the only food she was eating in months.

Emma tried not laugh at Rapunzel's attack at the ice cream. It was ended in a few minutes.  
“ You'll get a bellyache.” she said to the warrior, who shrugged.  
“ Been through worse.”  
A sudden rumor made Emma look at the entrance of the diner. It took her a second to recognize Sean's father and the District Attorney entering the diner. A few people were standing outside Granny's. The two men stopped three steps after the door.  
Regina stood up, imitated by Rapunzel, and the silence fell in the diner.  
“ George.” Regina tightly said, assuming her mayoral, mh, regal posture. Things weren't turning good for George, aka Albert Spencer, aka her... grandfather? Emma hadn't realized it until that moment. If the book was right, that turd head was her grandpa. Troubled family, didn't Regina just say it?  
“ Regina.” he quietly answered. “ I'm happy to see that you all are alive after the battle.”   
“ Surely not because of your help.” the former Mayor answered, clenching her jaws.   
George gave a smirk. “ We're here only to thank you. I'm more than sure that without your guide we would have lost the battle.”   
Regina quietly snickered. “ There's no "we", George, but the one concerning you and your brave friend.”   
George made a visible effort not to yell something surely insulting. His face reddened, his nostrils dilated while he clenched his fist next to his hips, but the he took a couple of breaths and returned nearly calm, trying a smirk even.  
“ I'm still a King, Regina, you owe me respect...”   
Regina snorted. “ A King that leaves his people in the claws of the three most dangerous werewolves of all times, a King that sends his son in battle alone, a King that hides himself in his pathetic house while his people fight for their lives, guided by another ruler... Well, my dear, I'm sorry to inform you that such a King wears a crown made of rope, and soon that rope will drop and fasten around his neck.”  
“ He's my son no more.” the man growled, gritting his teeth. “ He's just a monster now.”  
Regina frowned. “ Are you telling me that you renounce to give him your inheritance?” she asked, slightly tilting her head to the right.  
“ This is none of your concern!”   
“ Oh, it is, actually. You see, Snow White is my foster-daughter...”  
“ You banished her!”  
Regina shrugged, smirking. “ I retire the banishment and the offer of a reward.”   
“ You can't do it!”   
“ I can.” the brunette steadily said, serious now. “ I am the Queen, and this is my kingdom.”   
“ We'll see about that.” George said with a sneer. Emma sighed, already looking at Rapunzel. She knew what would have happened. The warrior moved indeed, placing herself in front of the man, making him step back. Her hand was carelessly leaning on her sword.  
“ Would you please repeat, man?” she asked, a dark light in her eyes. Emma swallowed, grabbed Henry and moved him behind her.  
“ Momma...”  
“ It's all right kid. Just taking some precautions.”   
“ No.” he insisted pulling her jacket to catch her attention. Emma looked at him. “ You can stop this. You're a princess, and the Savior. They'll listen to you.”   
Emma frowned, skeptically glancing at her grandfather.   
“ I don't know, kid. According to your book, he's an ass.”   
Henry shrugged. “ You could try.”   
Emma sighed, turning to look at King George. He was facing Rapunzel. Jerk. Emma really didn't want Henry to witness a murder. She gathered her courage and stepped forward.  
“ Heard we're related.” she began, catching his attention. She forced herself to smile at him, who gave a growling sigh. Rapunzel just gave her an annoyed glance.  
“ We'd better be. I mean, for you. Being the Savior's grandfather should be a good thing, don't you think?”  
George had to nod once. “ It should, if the so called Savior wasn't so weak.”   
Emma swallowed back her anger. “ Well, I fought, at least.”   
George gritted his teeth.” I wouldn't risk my life for a handful of peasants!”  
“ Enough.” Rapunzel growled, unsheathing her sword. Emma stopped her by grabbing her arm.  
“ No!”   
“ Hey, no killings in my diner!” Granny shouted from behind the counter.   
“ No killings anywhere!” Emma said glaring at George. “ Or I'll arrest you.”   
“ Me?! She was about to kill me and you arrest _me_?”   
Emma shrugged. “ You bugged her. And you gave Regina a death-threat. It's enough to press charge.”   
George huffed form his nose, slightly resembling to a dragon. His face was so red that he could be breathing fire, after all.   
“ Your office it's a lie! All of this is a lie! You're just a princess, you can't give me orders! I am the King!”  
Emma sighed. That jerk was really beginning to get on her nerves. “ Just a princess? King? There's no kingdom here! We're in Storybrooke, and even if we weren't, I suppose that this is Regina's territory, and so my mother's, not yours. You have no right here, seen that you have just renounced to be related with us. Now get your ass out of here or so help me I'll kick you out that door myself!”   
George was about to explode, Emma was sure. “ We'll meet again, Savior...” he said in a whisper, leaning forward, his eyes burning with hate. “ Maybe in my kingdom, and maybe I'll have my sword in my hand, and then we'll see who's the real ruler of this people.”   
Emma glared at him. “ Who the people want.” she said, disgusted. She might have born in Fairy Tale Land, she might be the Savior, and a Princess, but she fucking hated that way of thinking.  
He smirked. “ We'll see about that.” he said before glaring at Regina and turning to leave.  
“ Let me kill him.” Emma heard Rapunzel whisper in Regina's ear while George and Mitchell were about to exit the diner.  
“ Don't worry, dear. “ Regina answered. Emma turned to look at her, finding out that the brunette was staring at her with an amused smile on her face, and hidden admiration in her eyes. The door shut behind Emma. “ He's already digging his own grave.”

“ How could you do it!? I trusted you!”   
“ Belle...”  
“ No! No "Belle"! You tricked me!”  
“ No, I just...”  
“ You what? You wanted to protect me? I could handle it, Rumple! I faced the Yaoguai, have you forgotten it? I'm not an unwary girl, i don't only read books, I can fight, too! Ruby's my friend!”   
“ And you're my woman!” Rumple bursted out. Belle muted, catching her breath. He leaned forward. “ I love you, Belle...”   
“ If you loved me...” she said behind her tears, struggling to keep her voice firm. “ ...you'd have let me go.”   
Belle watched him crumble, trying hard not to fall into pieces in turn. She had feared that moment all the time, the moment when he would have totally turn into the Dark One. She had thought that she could save him. How silly she had been. She wasn't enough, she would have never been enough. If Baelfire, his own son, hadn't been worth renouncing to power, how could she have been so presumptuous to think that she was it?   
“ I did wrong.” he murmured, crying. Belle had to swallow back the giant knot of pain that was choking her. “ I'm sorry, Belle, please... I'm so sorry...” he fell on his knees, making her step back.  
“ Stand up...”   
“ No!” he shook his head. “ I was just afraid! I can't lose you... Please... I'm a coward, I know... I'm sorry...”   
She couldn't stand it. Seeing him plead her... it killed her. She still loved him, she would always love him.   
“ Rumple...” she began, but then the words stopped in the middle of her throat. He gazed up at her, his weepy eyes full of hope. How could she harm him now? And yet... “ Rumple, I... I can't let you do this to me. I love you, but I must love myself too. I know what you did while the others were fighting...”   
He gave a start. “ It's true that I couldn't fight against the three brothers!”   
“ But you could against Peter Pan!” she objected, and his glancing down was the only answer she needed.   
“ I had to do it, Belle. It was my only chance to revenge Bae...” he whispered without looking at her.  
Belle sighed. “ That is exactly my point. You sedated me to keep me safe, yes, but even to be free to go there and kill her, I don't even want to know how. You could stay here with me, at least. You could lock us in and stay here with me, it would have been better. “  
“ I didn't want you to be anxious about...”  
“ About my friends probably dying out there? They have husbands and boyfriends too, girlfriends, and parents, you know? And what about Shaya? I thought you cared about her, at least...”   
“ I do!”   
“ And you let her alone? You knew that she'd do anything to protect Regina! You said that she died in Neverland because there was Regina there!”   
“ I knew that she wouldn't do the same mistake again, and she's the greatest warrior, Belle, trust me...”  
“ Sure, but a little of help from the Dark One never wastes during a battle, don't you think?”   
Rumple couldn't reply. He just kept staring at her with that begging gaze. Belle sighed.   
“ Stand up, Rumple. Please...” she murmured. She couldn't stand it anymore. The Dark One slowly stood up, never stopping to look at her.  
“ I love you, Belle.” he whispered “ I'll do anything you want, I promise, just...”  
“ No.” she said in a whisper, holding back the tears. “ I... I can't trust you anymore...”   
“ I'll never use magic again! I swear it, Belle, I swear it on my life!” he said in haste, grabbing her arms, crying. “ Please, Belle, give me another chance... I can't lose you...”   
The librarian looked in the eyes of the man she loved, loosing herself in the desperation that harbored in them. Was he telling the truth? Would he really give up magic to stay with her? Belle choose to believe him.   
She gave a tiny, tensed smile. “ Okay.”

Mary Margaret entered the diner, pretty sure to find her daughter there. Her fridge was probably empty, Emma had had to get out of home to eat something. What Mary Margaret didn't know was that her daughter was sitting on a table with Henry, Regina and Rapunzel, blushing at something that they had said. She glanced at David, who was closing the door behind them before walking next to her.   
Emma saw them right when Snow turned back to look at her.   
“ Mom! Dad!” she exclaimed, managing to knock over her chair and to bump the table at the same time as she stood up. She somehow grabbed hold of the chair before it hit the floor, then walked fast towards them. “ What are you doing here? Hey, how are you?” she asked, first to both of them, then towards her father only, with an embarrassed smile.  
David smiled at her. “ I'm fine, don't worry. “ Henry, in the meantime had leapt up and run to him, hugging him tight. “ Hey, Henry, all fine boy?”   
He repeatedly nodded against his belly, making him chuckle. David locked gaze with Emma again. “ We just didn't want to eat the thirty years old sandwiches in the hospital's dispenser for lunch, and we thought you could be here too, so we came.” he said shrugging.   
“ Ah, well, we...” Emma looked behind her shoulder. After a moment of silence, Regina stood up, and Emma looked back at them with the same embarrassed smile she had before. “ ...we've already lunched...”  
Snow forced herself to smile at her. “ Oh, don't worry, I know we're late! We just wanted to see if you're okay.” she said, involuntarily glaring at Regina, who was putting on her jacket.   
“ Don't mind me, dear, I'm going. “ she said with a smirk, tidying her hair with few, expert moves.   
“ Will you become a werewolf?” Henry asked to David, making him frown. The falsely casual silence in the diner made him blush.   
“ Uhm, dunno Henry. We'll see. “ he answered, trying to smirk at the boy. Snow secretly rubbed David's back, gaining a grateful glance.   
Regina passed behind Emma, letting her hand slide on the Savior's back, startling her and lightening an uncontrolled anger in Snow White.   
“ We shall see you later, Emma. Remember to take the toothbrush. Here's the key. “ she said with a sneer and a glance at the furious stepdaughter, handing a single key to Emma. Snow clenched her fists. What was Regina trying to do? She glanced at Rapunzel, standing behind Regina, waiting. She looked a bit tensed. The warrior suddenly looked at her while Regina was listening to Henry, who was proposing to stay with them at the diner with the promise of not eating another ice cream.   
“ We have to talk.” Rapunzel said in such a serious way that she frightened her. Mary Margaret swallowed, hesitantly nodding.   
“ Okay.”   
The warrior nodded once, somehow elegantly, so that it looked like a curtsey. It always blew her mind how delicately that lethal body could move.   
“ Tomorrow?” Rapunzel asked, slightly smiling at Snow's agreement. She then delicately bumped her fist with Henry's and Emma's and followed the former queen out of the diner.  
David mockingly gazed at her daughter. “ What's the fist thing?”   
Emma shrugged. “ Henry said that we're a team, and so we must have a special greeting or something, and he came out with this thing...” she shrugged again.   
Mary Margaret couldn't contain a scolding glare. “ You're sleeping at Regina's tonight?” she roughy asked, crossing her arms.  
Emma frowned. “ Y-yes... thought you two needed some... privacy...” she hesitantly answered, slightly blushing.   
David's arm rounded Snow's waist, pulling her closer to him. His warmth calmed her a little.  
Her husband leaned forward while talking to their daughter. “ Emma, you are not a guest. That is our house, and with our I mean yours, too. You don't have to sleep at Regina's just because you think that...”  
“ I sleep at Regina's because Henry asked me to. “ Emma stopped him. “ And you two really need some time together. End of the story. Nothing wrong, nothing to feel guilty about.”  
Snow sighed. “ It's not about guilt. We're just worried for you.”  
Emma frowned. “ Worried? Because of Regina?”   
Snow nodded once, pursuing her lips. “ Emma, she's...”  
“ A manipulative bitch, a killer, a witch, I know. I was here to directly experience it, remember? But she's a mother, too, my son's mother. She truly loves Henry, and you have no idea of how much she loves Shaya, too. Well, you know it, actually, but I felt it, really, and... I... “   
Snow looked her daughter's eyes fill with tears while she was talking. She moved to caress her cheek, but Emma stepped back.   
“ No, I got it, I got it. Just, I had never felt that way. And Regina neither. “  
Snow lifted her brow. “ What are you talking about? She loved Daniel, that's why we're here, actually...”  
Emma snorted. “ I'm not talking about love, that I felt it already. I...I was talking about family.” she concluded, lowering her tone and glancing down. This time nothing could stop Snow White. She hugged her daughter before she could even realize it, rubbing her back, trying hard not to start crying. This... she would never forgive Regina for having ruined Emma's life.   
“ We're here, now...” Snow whispered, hugging tight her daughter. David had joined them with just one arm, the only one he could move.  
She felt Emma nod beyond her head.  
“ I-I know. But...” Emma moved, breaking the hug. She locked gaze with her, a plead in her green eyes, so similar to hers. “ ... Regina is, too.”   
Snow opened her mouth to protest, but Emma continued. “ She's my family, too, because she's Henry's. She's been it for ten years, mom. I wasn't here, and she took care of him, her way, but she did.”  
“ Emma...”  
“ But I'm here now, as you are for me. Henry needs his family, just as I needed it at the time.” Emma paused, taking a deep breath and glancing down, as if she had to dig deep inside herself to find the bravery to go on. “ Please, I don't wanna chose between you and her. I can't leave Henry again. I won't.” she finally said, her face contorting in pain at the last sentence, a glance to her astonished son, all eyes on her.   
Mary Margaret pressed her lips together, swallowing back the tears. She couldn't forgive or trust Regina, but she couldn't even make Emma suffer because of it. Maybe Emma was right. Maybe Regina didn't mean to harm her anymore. She had somehow demonstrated it in the last period, yet many times she had looked friendly, affectionate even, and then she had tried to stab her in the back. How could she trust her?   
“ If you say that she's okay, then she is. I may not trust her much, but I trust you.” David was saying, smiling at their daughter. Emma gratefully smiled back at him. “ And she's loyal, after all. She always warned us before attacking us.” he smirked, making Emma and Henry softly laugh.  
“ Sure, but when she murdered my father.”  
Emma goggled at Snow, instinctively passing a hand over Henry's shoulders and pulling him towards her. She tried to say something, failing. Snow sighed, glancing at Henry. Emma, with that move, was unconsciously trying to protect Henry from her. Was that what she had become? A threat to her grandson? Mary Margaret gazed at her husband. His eyes didn't show the hint of a doubt. He knew who she was, he always did. And, as always, he remembered it to her.   
Snow White gazed at her daughter. “ I'm not saying that I won't try.” she added, trying hard to smile at her. But Emma gave her a bright smile and hugged her, making her forget why she was so annoyed, worried or sad. There was just Emma now, the solid body of the beautiful woman she had become, without her help, without her guard. Emma didn't need protection, she never did. Emma needed a family, she needed to be loved, to be supported, she needed that hug, for how she could try to hide it with that tensed posture.   
“ Thank you.” Emma said while hugging her, and breaking the hug a moment after, with an embarrassed face.   
Snow swallowed back her tears and smiled at her, feeling the dumbest person in any realm.   
“ I'm sorry, Emma. I did it all wrong, I was... But I understood now. “ she took her daughter's face between her hands, startling her. “ Now I know. Whatever makes you happy will be fine to me. “ she managed to say before her voice broke. Snow sniffled, drying the couple of tears that had fallen without her permission. “ I'm sorry.” she repeated “ I was letting my dark side take control. I was doing exactly what I feared you could do under Regina's guide. But you're stronger than me...” she said stifling a laughter, letting the tears fall. Emma tried to object, but she stopped her. “ No, it's true, trust me. I know you. I'm your mother.”   
Snow White watched her daughter's eyes slowly fill with tears, but Emma managed to hold them. She did until Snow leaned forward and kissed her forehead, at least.

Regina couldn't help but smile while watching Shaya literally hug Maximus, although a little of worry for her feet, as the horse looked a bit nervous. If he stepped forward, Shaya risked a fracture.   
“ I'm sorry to disturb you, dear, but you don't want to be walking with a limp, don't you?”   
Shaya jokingly glared at her. “ Are you trying to teach me how to deal with my horse?”  
Regina shrugged. “ I've rode him for thirty years, I kinda know him.”   
“ And you forgot to tell me.”   
“ Shaya...”   
The warrior snorted. “ I was just kidding, love. But, as you can see, I can't even pretend to be angry with you. It's frustrating, you know?”  
Regina walked to her, uncrossing her arms to caress the stallion's snout. “ Mh... what do you say, Maximus? Can she ever get frustrated?” she asked directly to the horse, that puffed and shook his head, making her smile.  
“ What do you mean? I most surely can!”  
Regina gazed at her confused face. “ What do I mean? You're the most patient person I've ever met, Shaya, that's what I mean. I'm pretty sure you never get frustrated. I do, often, but you don't. “   
“ This... this isn't true! I've been frustrated in my life, a lot! “ she answered her cheeks reddening. So, was she getting angry now? Shaya's anger lasted barely a second. She looked just concerned now.  
Regina frowned. Was it even possible that... “ But not with me.” she hazarded in a murmur.  
Shaya slightly blushed. “ No.” she said hiding a smile by catching her attention with those calm, wise blue eyes, deep as the sound of a heart beating. “ I wouldn't waste our precious time together that way. I lived for anger, I killed for it. It ruled my life enough. Now I allow it to touch me only if it's to protect someone else. I've been the Golden Death for too long, Regina. Now I can be your... “ she hesitated, blushing, her eyes slightly wetted. Regina repressed a smile and the storm of feelings that was menacing to drive her crazy, and leaned forward, getting closer to her, their faces almost touching.   
“ Why don't you say it?” she asked in a murmur.  
Shaya gave an awkward smile, blushing more. “ I-I don't know... I'm... It's weird...”  
Regina leaned her fingers on her cheek, touching the soft, burning skin. “ You're lying...” she whispered with a smirk, narrowing her eyes in a scolding glare. Shaya glanced down, so she had to push under her chin to have the possibility to stare again at those gorgeous, fearful eyes.  
“ I'm sorry.”  
Regina smirked again. “ Don't. Just tell me why.”  
Shaya sighed, leaning her forehead on hers and closing her eyes. “ I'm afraid.” she whispered while a tear slid on her cheek, caught by Regina's thumb. “ I'm afraid that if I say it you'll realize it, and... “  
“ And what? I love you, I've already realized it!”  
“ But... but it's wrong, Regina! I am a woman, you are a woman! You're supposed to marry a man and have children with him...”  
“ I have a son already.”  
“ ... we can't marry! They would have burned us alive in the Eastern Lands! It's a crime, especially for a Queen!”  
Marry? Did she really just say it? Regina couldn't repress a smile. “ We're not in the Eastern Lands. Here is all legal, and we can even get married. As in the Enchanted Forest. And even if it wasn't so, we are the queens of those lands. The decision is only ours.”   
Shaya's face radically changed. She looked regretful, angry and sad at the same time. The warrior glanced down, stepping back, frightening Regina as never before. She never meant to hurt her.  
“ I'm no queen. The throne was never mine.” she said with a throaty voice that never belonged to her.   
“ But it is yours, it has always been. “ Regina objected, gaining a glare from the warrior. “ You have the right to claim it...” she continued in a tone lowered by Shaya's glare.   
“ Aye, I do have it, but I won't. “ Shaya said, gritting her teeth. “ My people sees me as a monster, a traitor, a fratricide. They forgot my name, they sullied it with false accusations. They left me alone in a tower for fifteen years, alone, a child! Do you know how many times I thought that I was going crazy? My guards, my personal guards brought me there. I trusted those men. The council that decided my fate, do you know who they were? They were my preceptors. They saw me come to life. My people served him, their own enemy. They payed him duties, they fought for him, they accepted him as a king since the first day. There wasn't even the rumor of a revolt. They didn't even think that I could be innocent. I loved them, I wanted to become knight to serve and protect them, I would have given my life for any farmer, even the elder one, but they threw me in the mug in return. I could never rule over them, Regina. I still hate them. How could I serve them? I wouldn't be a queen, I'd be a slave.”   
Regina, for how inappropriate it could be, smiled and kissed Shaya, surprising the warrior.   
“ Regina...?”  
The brunette snorted. “ Have you an idea of how childish you make me feel?”  
Shaya furrowed her brow and slightly shook her head in denial.   
Regina smirked. “ You're the only real queen here, and anywhere. Kingdom or not.”   
“ But I just told you...”  
Regina leaned forward and kissed her again, passing her arms around her waist and pulling the blonde against her, enjoying the contact of their bodies although the clothes.  
“ Shush... Your Majesty...” the brunette murmured with a smirk, her lips rubbing against Shaya's.  
The warrior tried to distance from her, but Regina moved her right hand over her shoulders and pulled, keeping her close.  
“ Don't call me that way...” Shaya said on her mouth, seriously staring at her although the poor distance.   
“ Ah, sweet, sweet vengeance...” Regina whispered, smiling, hoping that it would have been enough to make her smile. She loved to see her smile. So, when the angles of the blonde's mouth curved up, Regina chuckled and kissed her again, and again, and again.

Killian gave a start when he saw Swan talk with Victor in the corridor from the open door of his room. He didn't expect her to come to see him. He was beginning to lose his hope with her, but this changed everything.  
“ Swan, what a surprise!” he exclaimed when she entered the room, making her roll her eyes.  
“ Don't ya up, Hook. I was around.”   
The pirate sneered. “ Aye, sure. Why do we always have to meet in a hospital? It's about the third time...”   
Emma took a chair and sat next to his bed, distant enough for him not to be able to touch her.   
“ Guess it's a sign.” she answered with a mysterious gaze.  
She had his full attention. “ A sign, you say?”  
Emma grinned. “ Yes. For you.” she said, lowering her voice in a husky whisper. Killian felt the blood leave the upper part of his body. He hoped that she would keep looking at his eyes.  
“ Me? And what should I get from this sign?” he asked, leaning forward towards her, ignoring the pain darting from his wounds.  
Emma's grin widened, her eyes brightened. She leaned forward in turn, her face getting close to his, dangerously close.  
“ Well...” she began, her fresh breath moving his hair. “ ... you should understand that...” she got even closer, her gaze slightly fogged, locked with his. “ ... you'll end up here again if you keep praising my butt.” she ended snapping a light slap in his forehead, and leaning then back on her chair.  
Killian aimed a finger at her, peeved. “ I didn't praise your butt yet!”   
“ You did, this morning. Before the battle.”  
Oh, right. That praising. But he would never admit it. The pirate arched a brow, a half smile on his face. “ The closeness with the Queen is influencing you, Swan: this is a revenge!”  
Emma crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow. “ Regina has nothing to do with this, trust me.”  
“ I bet she does.”   
“ She doesn't!”  
“ She does.”  
“ She doesn't!”  
“ And then what, you're revenging for a compliment?” he grinned, a grin that had brought many women to him, but just a few punches from the Savior and her father, unfortunately.  
“ Quite a rough compliment...”  
“ You seem to like it rough, Swan...”   
“ Killian!” Emma squealed, instinctively looking behind her shoulder, and then glaring at him. He smirked.  
“ Looks like I got it...”  
Emma blushed. “ You're a pervert!”  
“ I'm a pirate.” he sneered, winking at her.  
Emma rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. “ You, apology for Jack Sparrow...” she whispered, totally confusing the pirate.  
“ Who's this Jack Sparrow?”   
Emma eyed him with a resigned face. “ Maybe I'll introduce him to you, someday.” Something passed through her eyes, making them shine, and a smile curved her lips. “ It could be funny.”   
Killian frowned. There was something wrong with her expression. She was looking at him like the crocodiles looked at the mutineer walking the plank.  
“ I'm not sure that I wanna meet this man, Swan.”  
Emma grinned. “ You just convinced me that you absolutely have to know him.”


	28. Never trust a mercenary

The lock clicked open and Emma and Henry got into the house.   
“ We're home!” Henry yelled taking off his scarf ad jacket. Emma imitated him, frowning. Home. That was Henry's home, yes, but not hers. Where was her home? At Mary Margaret's she felt good, but it wasn't so good to say that it was home. She was a guest, for how her parents could deny it. Boston? Needless to say that her apartment was just a place where to sleep. Maybe the place closest to a home for her was her car.   
Regina came smiling out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel.  
“ Hey, sweetie, how's been the afternoon?”   
“ Cool! I've been with David and Mary Margaret when Emma was with Hook, and they told me of when they were in the forest and they fought with the trolls! I wanna see a troll, mom! And then David taught me a secret move with the sword, it took a bit before I understood how to do it, and then Emma joined us at the beach and he taught her too, and Mary Margaret said that she could try to use her bow too, and...”  
“ Okay, Henry, okay, I got it, you had fun.” Regina softly laughed, caressing his cheek. “ You'll tell me better while we dine. Now go wash your hands, the dinner's almost ready.”   
The kid brightly smiled. “ Okay!” he exclaimed before running to the bathroom.   
Emma gazed at Regina.   
“ Lemme guess: lasagna.” she sneered.  
Regina though looked suddenly serious, almost worried. What the hell...?  
“ It's my fault, Emma, not yours. “  
The Savior furrowed her brow, confused. “ What?”  
“ You can't feel home because you're not. “ the brunette said before turning and going back in the kitchen.   
Emma, after a moment of surprised hesitation, followed her. “ Whoa, why, wait, were you reading my thoughts? Hi, Shaya.”   
The warrior just nodded at her. She was standing in the kitchen, leaning with her hips against the shelf next to the sink, arms crossed and a worried face.   
“ No, but your emotions were so strong that I heard them. You were basically... magically shouting, Emma. “  
The Savior arched an eyebrow. “ Well, we need to find a solution to this problem. I'd rather not hear other kind of shouts.”   
With a glance to the warrior, Emma found out that she was violently blushing, as she suspected. The Savior couldn't hide a smile, but it disappeared when's he noted that Regina was glaring at her.   
“ Don't worry, dear, I have the control of my power.”   
“ Hey! I'm a beginner!”   
Regina grinned. “ Yes, and I have some homework for you. “ she said while waving her right hand in the air. A book appeared on the table from the purple fog. It was an old one, with silver decorations, gold clasps, and a red stone shaped as a heart in the middle of the cover. Emma warily glanced at the brunette.  
“ I ain't gonna read that thing.”   
Regina raised an eyebrow. “ You most surely will, dear, or you'll never learn anything.” she said with those tone and gaze, the ones that made her feel young, ignorant and stupid.   
“ Y-you can teach me, I don't need that book! Don't you have another one, at least?”   
Regina pursued her lips and furrowed her brown in a half disappointed, half amused face. “ I've learned from that book, Emma...”  
“ Well, yes, exactly, that's the thing.”   
Regina looked confused. “ Sorry?”  
Emma sighed. “ Okay, don't take it the wrong way, but... who gave you that book? Cora? “   
Regina clenched her jaw. Okay, maybe she was taking it the wrong way. “ Rumplestiltskin.” she answered lowering her voice in a sort of growl. Emma swallowed.  
“ Yeah, and things didn't exactly go good since you had this, isn't it?”  
Regina glowered at her. “ Oh, I would say quite the opposite, dear. Magic saved me. Maybe the wrong way, but it did, when anybody could or wanted to do it. So, no, Emma, it isn't. It's not the book, it's how you use what you learn from it. Your fear is senseless. “ she harshly said, clenching something inside Emma. Regina could try to hide it, but Emma felt that she was hiding her feelings, and so she knew that she was suffering. She suddenly regretted her words.  
“ Emma, Regina is right. “ Rapunzel softly said stepping forward and leaning a hand on the book. “ This is just a book. Quite a precious one, let me say. Here there are the most useful and powerful spells that ever existed. If you don't want to listen to the most powerful witch of any realm, alright, be my guest, you may have your reasons.” Shaya smirked, making her blush and glance down. Young, ignorant and stupid. Fuck. “ But listen to this: you are power, Emma. If you don't learn to control yourself, you'll always be unstable. You'll always risk to hurt someone without wishing it. Think about Red. She was about in your same situation. “   
The Savior locked gaze again with the warrior. She was right, Emma knew it. But what she had done to Finnegan... She hadn't needed any spell, any book. She had just thought it. Emma told them. Shaya looked impressed, but Regina had a weird expression that Emma couldn't work out.   
“ I know, Emma, I saw it. You were angry, I suppose, and frightened. Your instinct worked for you. But what if you aren't angry enough? What if you're not afraid and you need that power again?” Regina questioned, making a step towards her.   
“ If I ever need that power again, I bet that I'll be hella scared, again.”   
“ Aargh, you're so annoyingly stubborn!” Regina growled, angrily passing before her and going next to Rapunzel. She then bent and opened the oven. Shaya handed her a hot pad. Regina grasped it and took off the baking tray. “ Henry!” she shouted, walking out of the kitchen to reach the dining room, followed by the two women. The table was set so elegantly that Emma stared at it open-mouthed for a while.  
“ Shaya did it, if you're wondering. “ Regina harshly said glaring at her while putting the baking tray on the table, between silver, flowers, stem glasses and an exaggerate amount and variety of food. The large table looked ready for a royal banquet. Not that it was anything else, Emma thought with an inner smirk.   
“ If you didn't want me to...” Rapunzel began to say, but Regina stopped her with a glance.   
“ It's just a bit too much, dear. This ain't a castle. We're just four, and there's food for twenty...”  
The warrior shrugged. “ Twenty... Twenty what? Twenty ladies afraid that their corset could get too tight, maybe, but bring here a couple of dwarves, you'll see how much of this will remain...”  
“ I'm not going to bring in my house those hateful miners, dear.”  
“ ... Or just me. I can eat much, really. And I bet she can do it, too. And children do eat much. And we come from a wearying day, I figured that we'd all be hungry, despite the lunch, and...”  
“ Okay Shaya, alright, I got it, don't worry!” Regina stopped her, smiling at her. The warrior blushed and glanced down, nervously playing with a knife. Regina stopped serving sizes and approached her. “ Hey, really, I got it. And I appreciate that you cooked for us. I was rude, as always. We'll eat tomorrow the leftovers. I'm sorry.”   
Emma watched the warrior frown and gaze at the brunette. There was only silence for a bit. Then Rapunzel gave a smirk. “ I'm just afraid to annoy you.” she shyly murmured, making Emma goggle. Annoy? No, seriously? Shaya was clearly weary, and despite this she had cooked for an army, probably only to have more probability to get Regina's taste, and she thought that she could be annoying?  
Regina, fortunately, looked to have the same thoughts. She chuckled and went back serving sizes. “ Annoy me? Really? Because you give me too many attentions?” Regina asked raising an eyebrow, her lips slightly pursued.   
The warrior nodded once. “ Here it is, you see? Too many, you said it. I was...”  
“ Wrong! Shaya, think! You know me!” Regina bursted out, staring at the blonde. “ Do you really think that someone I love, taking care of me, could ever annoy me?”   
Rapunzel looked away, slightly blushed. She sighed, frowning. Something was wrong, Emma knew it, but what was wrong, that was a mystery. Regina suddenly grabbed Shaya's face and turned it, forcing her to look at her. They stared at each other for a while, the Regina clenched her jaw.  
“ You still don't really believe it, uh?” the brunette asked with a low, dark voice. Emma swallowed. Shaya's eyes were getting wet. Regina's too. The former Queen leaned forward, pressing her fingers against the fair skin. “ I do love you!” she snarled, gritting her teeth. Shaya tried to reply, but Regina's voice covered hers. “ Why can't you believe me? Why can't anybody believe me?” she asked in an angry whisper, a couple of tears that made her cheeks shine.   
“ I...” Shaya was saying, but Emma talked, without even realizing it.  
“ I believe you.” she said, making the former Mayor look at her with that same astonished face she always did when Emma supported her. Sometimes she wondered how alone she had had to be in her life. Even if it was half of how she herself had been, it was enough. “ And she does, too, but, Regina, I think that she's afraid that this is all just a dream? And if she really believes you, I guess that she thinks that she could wake up, and not find you there, and that would destroy her.”   
Rapunzel was looking at her with wide open eyes, and her jaw dropped. “ What... How can you know it?” she astonishingly asked, leaning her weight on her right hand, grasped around the chair she had in front of her.   
Emma gave her a slight smile. “ Because it's what I would think. I know how it feels when the person you love sends you in a place where you can't reach them for a long time, and then you see them again.” Emma's voice lowered, as her gaze. “ You don't want to lose them again.” she whispered. The Savior gave a start when two little arms hugged her from behind. She turned and raised her left arm to look at Henry, who sadly smiled at her, making her smile in turn.   
“ Maybe he's still alive, momma. He's Rumplestiltskin's son! He hates magic, but maybe he could use it to save his own life!”   
“ Henry...”   
“ Henry might be right, Emma. You said that he was still alive when he fell in the portal, after all. “ Regina said glancing at her son. “ There's still hope.” she added with a soft but still tensed smile. Henry brightly smiled at her.  
“ Yes!”   
“ But we could be wrong, kid. You have to accept it. He didn't come back, and we don't know if he ever will.” Emma objected, as delicately as she could, while her heart was breaking into pieces. She was truly afraid that it could actually break, like Shaya's did. But it didn't. It hadn't broke it when Neal had handed her over to the police, and it didn't now. There was just one possible explanation: Neal wasn't her True Love. She loved him, but he wasn't it. Emma wondered how was it possible to love someone more than she loved Neal. She gazed at her son, and smirked. Maybe she knew the answer, after all.

The food brought back the serenity on their faces. They ate until they could, and in the end the leftovers weren't as much as Regina feared.   
When they finished, which means even after the large amount of glasses of apple cider, Henry was the only one who didn't want to go to bed and sleep thirty hours straight, maybe even because he was the only one who didn’t drink. But he had to do it anyway.  
“ Tomorrow you have to go to school, Henry. “ Regina said while tucking him in. “ You'll watch tv in the afternoon.”   
“ But I wanted to stay with you all! Emma is here today! It's my only occasion!”   
“ Who says it?” Emma asked, appearing behind her. Regina turned to look at her, one eyebrow arched and a half smile on her face. Emma was leaning against the door jamb, her arms crossed under her breasts.   
“ Are you squatting in my house, Miss Swan?”   
The Savior sneered. “ Don't try me, sister.”   
Regina rolled her eyes and focused again on her son, who was wildly smiling.   
“ What are you smiling at?” she asked him, nodding towards him.   
He bit his lower lip. “ Nothing.” he mumbled, still smiling although he was trying to stop.  
Regina could repress her own smile just for a second more. She suddenly moved her hands and began tickling Henry, biting in turn her lower lip in order not to laugh with him.  
“ Ah, nothing, uh? Nothing, he says! We'll see if it's really nothing, oh, yes that we'll see it! Ah, my little Prince, you can't lie to me!” she said, half laughing, continuing to tickle him. Henry was doubling over with laughter, convulsively trying to stop her with his hands and yelling some "stop!" and " mom!" between the laughs.   
Regina stopped for a second. “ Mom? Oh, no, my poor, little Prince... I'm the Evil Queen, remember?” she said with a grin, that suddenly got into a laughter as she began again tickling him.   
“ Stop! Stop! Please! “ Henry yelled, laughing. This time Regina stopped. They locked gaze, and something passed between them. It was a while that they didn't do this. Years. Regina felt her eyes get a bit wet, and smiled at her son. She had never felt so happy. The brunette had to glance down, and took time clearing her voice, even because she didn't really trust it.  
“ Sleep, now.” she softly said, leaning forward and kissing her son's forehead. She lingered in that position, shutting her eyes, enjoying the contact with him, his smell, his hair rushing against her nose, moved by her breath.   
When she was about to move, Henry hugged her, wrapping his arms around her neck, startling her. The boy kissed her on her cheek, the hugged her tight one last time before letting her go, breathless.  
“ Goodnight, mom.” he said smiling sweetly.   
Regina managed to close her mouth and smiled back at him, swallowing back the tears, feeling her cheek ache for the strength of her own smile.  
“ Goodnight, sweetie.” she whispered standing up. She turned to leave his room, meeting Emma's dumbfounded face. Of course she had supposed that she had been a cold mother, unable to make her son have fun. Well, she was just about to know how wrong she was.   
“ Don't make that face, Miss Swan. You're still the irresponsibly funny mother, don't worry. I won't steal your crown. “ Regina winked at her. She saw her roll her eyes and head to Henry's bed, then bend to kiss him in turn before exiting the room and entering her own.   
Regina locked the door behind her and gazed at the falls of gold standing at her window. Shaya turned to look at her with a sweet, little smile already on her face.  
“ Is he fine?” the warrior asked, making a few steps towards her. She stopped on the other side of the bed.  
The brunette nodded. “ Yes, he'll fall asleep in minutes while "secretly" reading The Avengers under his sheets, with the torch. I hide them under his bed every morning before waking him up, so he thinks that he did it just before falling asleep. Scolding him for two pages at night would be idiotic.” Regina replied while undressing. She saw Shaya blush and look away out of the corner of her eye.  
“ You can watch, dear.” Regina murmured, openly gazing at her, a smile dancing around her lips.  
Shaya swallowed and gave her nothing more than a quick glance, violently blushing. “ I-I don't think it's appropriate, Regina. Your son is in the room next to this one, and your walls don't look that thick as they should. “   
The brunette stifled a laughter while slowly taking off her bra, and elegantly throwing it on the bed. Shaya looked about to have an heart attack, but she obstinately stared at the wall at her right.  
“ You so consider yourself good enough to make me scream?” Regina provocatively asked, walking to the bed. She then bent and put her hands on it, leaning her weight on them. She wasn't really sure that Shaya could still breath when she began to go on all fours, slowly, trying to be as loose as she could, getting close to the warrior.   
“ J-judging by my past experiences, I'd say yes, Regina, I do consider myself good enough. But, more than this, what I fear are my screams. If I'd... reach the pleasure thanks to you... I'm truly afraid.”   
Regina stood kneeling, surprised. “ Past experiences?”  
Shaya glanced at her. “ I'm a warrior, not a virgin. And I was already over seventy when I first saw you.”  
“ Are you telling me that since when you saw me...?”  
Shaya pinched her lips and glanced down, avoiding her dazed stare. “ I couldn't feel any interest for anybody else. “ she murmured.  
Regina moved and took her hand, and the warrior clenched her jaw. She had really waited for her. For all of those years, Shaya had been alone, she chose to be it, she chose not to forget her. She had been alone in turn, but she had had Graham, at least. “ Shaya, are you really telling me that you didn't make sex for half a century because of me?”  
The blonde's cheeks reddened again. “ A-aye.” she murmured, still looking at the floor. “ But it's not like I'm an ascetic. I mean... you know...” she shrugged as her voice faded, her cheeks redder than ever. She then suddenly gazed at her. “ But you don't have to feel responsible for it! It wasn't a thing that I actually did, I mean, I just couldn't feel... attracted by anybody. It's not like I didn't want to have a relationship, I mean, I thought that I'd never get to be with you, so... I tried, but I just couldn't. And, as people usually grew fond of me, I stopped. I didn't want to uselessly hurt them. I wouldn't have been happy anyway. “ she concluded in a whisper.  
Regina leaned forward, holding her hand with hers and touching her face with the other one, guiding her eyes to hers.   
“ Is there something you do only for yourself?” she asked, a smile that slightly narrowed her eyes. Shaya pressed her lips together.   
“ Why should I? Living for myself only was terrible. I did terrible things, things that I regret everyday. Then you came and knocked me down and smashed me again into who I am, and I started living for... you. I don't see why should I stop now.”  
“ Because you're a person, that's why!” Regina laughed. “ People do think of themselves. It's called survival, I guess. “   
Shaya gave a smirk. “ Thought I was quite good in surviving...”  
“ You are, indeed! But...” Regina moved on her knees, getting even closer to the warrior, slightly touching her left arm with her breasts. She clearly felt her shiver, and couldn't so repress a smile. Shaya was too tall for her to be able to kiss her in that position, yet her almost bare body could be enough to convince her to stoop and shorten that annoying distance. “ ...you're way too honorable to be one who can love me. People like you hate people like me.” the brunette continued, furrowing her brows. Shaya snorted, slightly shaking her head.  
“ People like me? Is the woman who stayed alive for thirty years only to seek revenge, and then stayed alive only to stay alive, raising money by torturing and killing people and, let me tell you, sometimes really enjoying her job, way too much for a "honorable" person, you're talking about? Because in that case, aye, people like me do hate people like you, but not because of your behavior, more like because of your power, which they deeply envy or fear.”  
Regina stared at the woman she loved, and she slowly realized that she loved her even more, after those words. She didn't know why, but she knew what she was feeling. The former Queen smiled brightly.   
“ Yes, that woman. My woman.” she said, grabbing the large shirt that Shaya used to sleep and pulling the surprised warrior on the bed, upon her as she let herself fall on her back. Shaya's hair fell around them as a golden curtain. Her face was right over hers, her brows knitted. Regina could feel her weight over her belly, basically the only part in contact with the warrior's body. Shaya knew, just as she knew it, that she was too heavy to lay on her, so she was keeping the upper part of her body up: her strong arms were next to her head, bent, so her weight was on her elbows, and this made her triceps stay contracted, and Regina liked it. She caressed the soft curve under the right sleeve, enjoying that sensation.   
“ Y-your...” the blonde began to say, but she hesitated. Regina locked gaze with her, using her free hand to caress her lips.  
“ Say it.” the brunette whispered with an encouraging, soft gaze.  
Shaya softly sighed, then swallowed, then spoke under her voice. “ Your woman.” she said, her eyes getting wet.  
Regina couldn't help but smile. “ Yes. And I'm yours. “ she said leaving the arm and cupping her face between her hands, raising then to kiss her.  
Their lips met, softly brushing against each other, leaving soon the game to the tongues. Shaya bent her arms, accompanying her to the sheets, letting Regina's body relax under her heat.   
“ No.” she murmured, locking gaze with her. “ You're anyone's.”  
Regina had a feeling, so vivid and intense that it seemed a vision: her heart was in a cage, a golden one, and Shaya had just opened that cage, freeing the thousands of crows inside of it, freeing her, leaving in her chest only her heart, pure, white, shining. And she herself had become a crow, and she was now flying in a limpid light-blue sky, a fresh wind underneath her wings.  
The former queen blinked, and found herself staring at that same light-blue, cornered by long, fair eyelashes, and that was staring at her in turn, brightened by a smile.  
“ Where were you?” Shaya softly asked, a glimmer of amazement in her gaze.   
Regina furrowed her brows. “ What?”  
“ You weren't here. “ the warrior smiled, pursuing then her lips and slightly tilting her head. “ Maybe I should say the magic words.”  
“ Which magic words?”  
Shaya grinned. “ You're a good mother.” she said.  
Regina stifled a laughter, then grabbed again the shirt and pulled Shaya against her, holding her there with a kiss. The blonde broke the kiss for the time to say: “ See? It works!”, then let her pull her down again, and another kiss filled their time.   
Regina tried to move her hands as to unbutton the shirt, but Shaya pressed her body against hers and broke the kiss, locking gaze with her.   
“ Regina...” she murmured, frowning. She loved the way she said it. Shaya had the slightest of the accents, but she could hear it like a soft touch lingering on the consonants, hardening the "r" of her name, making it somehow better, stronger, fiercer. The brunette started playing with a fair strand of hair next to Shaya's left cheek, slowly using it to reach her neck and caress it, making the warrior shiver.   
“ You make me like my name.” she whispered gazing at the golden lock between her finger.   
“ Maybe because I like it. “   
The brunette gazed at her. “ Mother gave me. “  
Shaya smirked. “ The second good thing she did.”   
“ Second? What was the first?”  
“ You.”  
Regina glared at her. “ Thought you didn't like my mother.”   
“ Indeed. Yet she picked a lovely name.” Shaya smiled, beginning to shyly caress her hair. Regina closed her eyes, enjoying the pleasant sensation, the slight shivers that Shaya's delicate fingers threw down her spine, her as much delicate weight over all of her body, the awareness of her face, so close to hers.   
“ It means "queen". How is it lovely?”   
Regina felt her shrug.   
“ Well, for how she did it all wrong, she wanted you to have a better life than she did, Regina. Your name was a... wish. For you, not for her. I do believe that she loved you, honey.” Regina opened her eyes, unable to contain the knot in her throat anymore.   
“ Do you?” she asked in a whisper. For a moment she saw sympathy in Shaya's eyes, but as she blinked it disappeared.  
The warrior nodded once. “ Aye.” she quietly said. “ Don't misinterpret, I still hate her. I can't forgive her what she did to you.” she added with lower voice, rage darting from her eyes, that looked sad now, despite the anger. “ But she loved you, her way.”  
Regina had to look away. She swallowed back her tears. How did she get to know all of those things? She was about to ask her when Shaya moved from above her and laid next to her, on her back. Regina immediately turned, getting closer to her, feeling about to freeze without her body against her own, even if the house was warm.   
“ Hey, were do you think you're going?” she asked, forcing herself to smirk, to think about something else, anything else but her mother. She wrapped an arm around Shaya's waist.  
The warrior sighed, regretfully gazing at her. “ Nowhere, but I should go to hell. I'm silly, sorry. Shouldn't have told you about her. Sometimes I can't fucking shut up. Sorry.”   
Regina pressed her lips together in a smile and gave a soft snort. She then leaned forward and kissed Shaya's neck before she could stop her, talking then against the soft skin, feeling the warrior struggle to stay still, so smiling against the skin and making her wriggle, a vicious circle.   
“ Indeed. Shut up and fuck me.” Regina throatily murmured, secretly blushing, making the blonde moan. She had never said something like that. It necessarily had to be Emma's influence.   
“ Goddammit, Regina! Hope you're aware that you're torturing me!” Shaya angrily whispered, trying to move away from her, but Regina thwarted her efforts by putting herself over her. Shaya looked desperate. “ Regina!” she exclaimed, a begging stare that made the brunette laugh, and so, for some reason, the blonde shake again.  
“ You're torturing yourself, dear. I'm just laying over you.”  
Shaya glared at her. “ Naked.”  
Regina sneered. “ That's not true: I still wear my panties. “  
The warrior angrily sighed, still glaring at her. “ I noted. That's why I'm still alive, thank you.”  
Regina turned up her nose at her. “ How dramatic of you...”  
“ Tell my heart...”  
“ I'd rather tell your...”  
“ Regina!”  
The brunette tilted her head with a smirk on her face. “ Close enough.”  
Shaya goggled, making her laugh. “ Since when you talk this way?”  
The brunette thought about it, then shrugged. “ I guess it's Emma's influence.” she answered narrowing her eyes.   
Shaya pursued her lips. “ Mh, if you say so... “   
“ What would that mean?”   
“ Nothing, nothing, Queen.”   
Regina glared at the woman. “ I told you...”  
“Aye, aye, I know.” Shaya grinned. “ But, if you still were a queen...” she left the sentence suspended, as if she was expecting her to continue it. The brunette frowned, confused.   
“ What?”   
Shaya eyes glittered. “ Well, you know, seen the meaning of your name, I could call you...” she paused, letting her think.   
Regina suddenly understood. “ No!”   
Shaya contracted her lips in a tiny "o", ruined by a sneer.  
“ No, Shaya, don't you dare say it...” Regina said in a threatening tone, aiming a finger at her.  
“ Queen Queen.” she quickly said, sticking the words so that it seemed even more ridiculous. Regina gave her a slap on her face. Shaya's mouth opened in surprise, then a sneer pulled her lips closer.  
“ I told you!” Regina grunted, glaring at her.  
The blonde was still smiling. “ You slapped me!”  
“ So what?”  
“ You're violent, woman!”   
Regina arched one eyebrow. “ Did you find it out now?”   
Shaya gave a sort of brief laugh. “ Nope, but I thought you were it only through magic, not physically.”  
Regina clenched her jaw. “ Guess I am it magically because I can't be it physically. I'm tiny, Shaya, I'm not a Viking like you. And I wouldn't obtain the same results, anyway. “  
“ What's a Viking?”  
“ Nevermind.” Regina sighed. 

Regina put an arm over Shaya's chest and the leaned her chin over it, gazing at her. With the free hand the former Queen started to gently tickle Shaya under her right ear. She looked sleepy. She was adorable.  
“ You really don't want to make love with me tonight?” Regina asked in a murmur, locking gaze with her.  
Shaya ignored an inner, desperate laughter. “ I do wish it, Regina, you know it, but... “ the warrior slightly shrugged. “ Really, I don't want to cause you problems. “ she concluded, trying not to detest the situation. It was a real torture, worst than any whip or red-hot iron.  
The brunette furrowed her lips, slightly smiling. “ Is that about? Me, again?”  
Seeing her so amused and a bit regretful at the same time made Shaya smile, she couldn't help it.   
“ Always.” she quietly murmured, although her heart was about to jump out of her chest.   
Regina moved and kissed her, caressing her nape, and her cheek with the thumb, clenching her core though she was just making her tongue dance with hers. Shaya had to do something, or she'd had surrendered. The brunette was really putting her resistance on test.  
The warrior moved and lifted them both, taking the sheets with one hand and basically throwing them over their bodies while falling again on the bed. She then wrapped both her arms around Regina while she made her slid next to her.   
Regina stopped kissing her and gazed at her face, closing watching every particular as if she wanted to mentally paint it, and cherish that image. She then fortunately leaned her head against the pillow that they were sharing, hiding her face between her neck and her shoulder, before that she could see the tiny tear of joy slid over the warrior's cheek.   
The warriors kissed her head, gently rubbing her back, breathing her scent, her own life.   
“ Are you comfortable?” she asked in a soft murmur. Regina slightly nodded against her.  
“ You?” she asked.  
Shaya repressed a laughter. “ Seriously?” she asked.   
Regina snorted, but then kissed her neck, killing her once again. “ You'll pay for this. Tomorrow.” she said, yawning. It was Shaya's turn to snort.   
“ Oh, I hope so.” she said, kissing again her head, inhaling her fragrance once again. “ Good night, my Queen.”   
“ I said...”  
Shaya smiled softly. “ Just mine. I swore loyalty to you as a Queen, so you'll always be my Queen, whether with or without a crown, I don't care. I'll forever be loyal to you, I'll never hurt you and always protect you, I'll do anything to make you happy. Your well is what matters. I deeply admire you and love you. You come before anything else. That's what I always meant for "serving" you. This makes you my Queen. This is what I mean by calling you that way. But if it annoys you anyway, I'll stop, I promise.”   
Regina glanced at her, then tightened the hug and hid again her face under her neck.   
“ How can you say these things and seem to be making a solemn oath?”  
Shaya smiled, looking at the ceiling. “ I was making a solemn oath.”   
“ Stop it.” Regina grunted.   
“ Doing what?”   
“ Being this romantic. You sound like and old chick lit. You almost sound like Charming! “   
The warrior fruitlessly tried to gaze at the brunette. “ Well, fair hair, blue eyes, sword in hand... we're kind of similar.” she shrugged.  
She perceived Regina's glare.   
“ Tell me that you'll always find me and here's all of his molasses. “   
“ I'll always...”  
“ Shaya!”   
The warrior repressed a laughter. “ He isn't that bad!”  
“ He's in love with Snow White. There must be something terribly wrong with him.”   
Shaya couldn't hold back the laughter this time. “ They say she's the fairest of them all, her beauty must have struck him, and then her resistance to your numerous attempt to kill her, maybe. Who says that she's the fairest, then, I really don't know, but that blockhead clearly hadn't met you. Or he had a thing for green eyes, I don't know...”  
Regina's throaty laugh filled her heart with joy. “ You don't think she's fair?”  
“ I think her intentions are good.”   
Regina locked gaze with her, a half smile tensing her lips. “ Didn't ask this.”  
Shaya just barely repressed a smile, and Regina burst again into laughter, making her smile explode.   
“ But you just said that her beauty must have struck Charming!”  
“ Well, what can I say? He'll have a thing for green eyes, honey!”   
Regina laughed again, briefly. When she stopped, she locked gaze with her. Her kind eyes carved deep into Shaya's heart.   
“ None has ever called me that way.” she said in an amazed murmur. She was looking at her as if she was magic.  
“ Which way? Honey?”  
Regina nodded once.  
Shaya blushed. “ Oh, aye, sorry, I know it's...”  
“ No, no, I like it!” Regina smiled at her dubious stare. “ Really.”  
The warrior smiled at her True Love. She sighed, able only to stare at her. Regina moved and went back hiding her beautiful face against her neck.   
“ We should sleep.” she murmured. The light shut off.  
Shaya sighed again and hugged her tight. “ Aye.” she said. “ Goodnight... honey.” she hesitantly whispered, kissing her forehead.  
“ Goodnight.” 

Snow blinked. Maybe it was finally time to get out of bed. She wasn't brave enough to look at the clock. If she had to wait another hour yet, she would have killed herself.   
The night had been a nightmare. Better, it would have been a nightmare if she'd slept. Instead, she had spent the whole damn night thinking about her daughter in Regina's house, hoping with all herself that Regina's guest room was downstairs, away from her bedroom. Henry's presence gave her hope, but the kid slept as a stone, so...  
Snow rubbed her face with both her hands. What if they did it? Oh, she could barely think about it without being sick. She had nothing against homosexuality, but Emma wasn't exactly the princess' stereotype, Regina was evidently bisexual and Rapunzel was probably lesbian. And Regina was in Emma's mind. Emma felt what Regina felt. That meant... Nah! Emma liked men, damn it! Neal, Graham, Hook now! She liked Hook! Not that it was much better. But better than a threesome with... God, she couldn't even think about it.   
Nervous, Mary Margaret stood up, causing the annoyed mumble of her husband.  
"5:45" flashed the red LEDs of the alarm clock. Snow glanced at her sleeping husband. The early night had been pleasantly lively, and he had his reasons to be sleepy. She kissed his cheek before rushing in the bathroom to get ready.  
She dressed up in less than a minute, running then out of home. She couldn't wait anymore.   
Granny's was closed yet, as she thought. She had to talk with Ruby, about her and about David, but she suspected that the girl was sleeping at that hour. Snow White walked over the diner, quickly taking Mifflin street, breathing the morning's fresh air, trying to keep calm. She was terrorized to knock at that door. She walked up and down the short stairs outside the intimidating mansion for almost thirty minutes before she could manage to quickly knock three times against the white wood.  
Twenty long seconds passed before that the door opened. Rapunzel was beyond it, wearing a large, grey shirt, long almost to the half of her long thighs.   
“ Already here?” she asked, sincerely surprised.   
Snow opened her mouth to answer, but she wasn't in time: Rapunzel totally opened the door and moved, motioning to her to get in. “ Please, come inside. It's still cold out there.” she said with such a polite tone that it sounded fake.   
Snow suspiciously eyed her, only taking time before entering the mansion, in truth.   
She inhaled deeply and got in while Regina's voice asked Rapunzel who was knocking, from her right.  
“ Snow White.” the warrior announced, looking at the woman and nodding towards the kitchen before walking towards it. Snow swallowed and followed her. For how they could make it seem so, she wasn't entering the throne room.   
Emma, Henry and Regina were sitting at the island, but only Regina was facing her. Emma, sitting on the opposite side of the table, had to turn on her chair to look at her, and Henry was side eying her, his face basically immersed in his cup.   
“ Hi!” Emma greeted her with a surprised tone, but a wonderful smile on her face.  
“ Well, well, look do we have here...” Regina said with a glare to her that, honestly, made Snow shiver. Not because it was scary, she had somehow got used to her killer looks through the years, but because of the slight amusement that her lips couldn't hide.  
“ Mom!” Henry disapprovingly exclaimed, looking at the brunette. Regina stifled a laughter and ruffled his hair, taking a sip from her black cup.  
“ Don't worry sweetie, she's used to it.” she said without taking her eyes off of her. Snow furrowed her brow, confused. Was that a knowing look?   
Emma almost choked at Regina's words. She then put a hand on her mouth repressing a laughter and evidently trying not to suffocate with her coffee.  
“ Regina! You b...”   
“ Miss Swan! L...”  
“ ...anguage, I know, I know.”   
Snow paled, she clearly felt it. Now they ended each other sentences. Great.   
Emma had to think about it, because she turned again to look at her, but with an embarrassed smile this time.  
“ Hey, why don't ya take a chair and...”  
“ Oh, I wouldn't bother you.” Snow gloomily replied.   
“ Alright, enough. See you later.” Rapunzel suddenly said before grabbing her left arm and basically dragging her out of the kitchen, then out of the house.   
“ Hey, what...?” Snow tried to object, but Rapunzel stopped her slamming the door behind them and so startling her.  
“ What is your problem?” the warrior angrily asked, aiming a finger at her.  
Snow blushed. How could she answer her?  
“ What? Why, nothing!”  
Rapunzel arched an eyebrow. “ Why that long face then? You know, there were smiles and laughters in this house, then you come in and everyone is awkward or tempted to bug you. “  
“ Oh, well, sorry if I'm a bit nervous seen that my daughter is sleeping in the house of my lesbian, telepathic archenemy!” Snow bursted out, covering her mouth with both her hand a second after and regretting her words as never before.   
The warrior looked surprise at first, but then, instead of killing her, as Snow hoped at this point, she did the worst thing she could ever do: she doubled over with laughter.   
“ Is this that you fear? Of them having a relationship?” she asked between the laughters.   
Snow stayed awkwardly silent, making the warrior goggle. “ Oh my... you think that all of us three have a relationship together? Egad! Snow White, you need to calm down and reason out, child. Hark, perhaps you didn't think about this: are you interested in anybody else than your true love?”  
Snow White dropped her jaw. Okay, she hadn't considered it. “ W-well, no, obviously, but Emma...”   
“ Emma has other interests, child. The brave captain! You know, the pirate's charm... I sort of understand her, the man is quite handsome and pleasant...”  
“ I know, Rapunzel, I understood it before Neverland, really, but.. I don't know... I feel so stupid now! “ Snow sighed, sitting on the stairs under Regina's porch. Rapunzel sat next to her and patted her shoulder, smiling.  
“ It's alright, child. It's comprehensible, after all: your daughter is quite attractive, forsooth...”   
Snow slapped the warrior's arm, making her laugh before continuing.  
“ Plus, you know what they say...”   
Snow suspiciously eyed her, ready to slap her again, repressing a smile. “ No. What?”  
Rapunzel sneered. “ Never trust a mercenary.”  
The princess stifled a laughter. “ You'd better prove that proverb wrong!” she exclaimed, jokingly glaring at her.  
Rapunzel pressed her lips in a tiny smirk and titled her head, narrowing her eyes. “ Alas, I'm afraid it might be right...”   
Snow slapped her again. “ Rapunzel!”   
The warrior grinned. “ Alright, alright, I was only joking, I admit it. Yet Emma is...”   
Snow glared at her and raised her hand, pursuing her lips, desperately trying not to laugh. The two stared at each other for a while, until the warrior suddenly raised her hands.   
“ I surrender to the immense power of your slaps! You almost broke my arm with the last one, and I know that you just spared me, oh powerful Snow White! Please, don't hurt me!” she said with a dramatic tone, waving her hands in the air, then clenching them over her heart, then taking her braid and covering her face with it, warily glancing at her from behind it. Snow White doubled over with laughter.  
When she managed to breath again, she faked a serious face and a manly voice, puffing her cheeks. “ I shall spare your miserable life, mortal, but only if you stop talking about my daughter!”  
Rapunzel repressed a smile. “ Deal. Actually I wanted to talk to you, but about and because of another question.” she said, now serious, but relaxed.  
Mary Margaret inhaled deeply, then nodded once. “ Well then, talk.”  
The warrior hesitated just a second before beginning. “ I tried to contact you before, but you didn't answer when I knocked at your door, so I figured you needed more time and, well, I gave you. I guess we all did. But I just wanted to apology with you. I was rough, and I let the anger guide me. I shouldn't have treated you that way, nor make those stupid jokes... You didn't and don't deserve it. I've never blamed you for what happened to Regina, on the contrary, you've been able to forgive her many times, and I thank you and admire you for this. If it was someone else, she'd probably be... But you're different. So much that sometimes you're annoying, I admit it, but, hey, we have different opinions, what's wrong with it? It doesn't mean that I have to be an ass with you. I get why you were angry at Regina: you were just afraid for Emma, and I overreacted in the woods that day. But I'll always do it, Snow, you must know it. I'll let anyone hurt her, if I can avoid it. I'm saying sorry today, and I'll probably say it again. You'll think it's useless then, but it isn't, trust me. We're not enemies, I don't hate you, I'm neither angry with you, but I'll always protect her. For this, don't forget the whole adage, Snow White: never trust a mercenary. They always protect their interests, and nothing else. Not even their friends. “ she concluded with a firm look, stained by the tension of her lips. Snow White swallowed hard, because that hint of sadness made everything even worse. Because it made her words true. Rapunzel wouldn't have hesitated a second before cutting off her head, if she was even the tiniest threat to Regina's life. And Snow White shook, because just until that same morning she wanted to throw an arrow at Regina's heart, and that desire was still there, weak but present, and it wouldn't have taken much for the warrior to realize it. Yet she smiled and nodded at the Golden Death.  
“ Okay.” she said, looking then at the point at her right that the warrior's nod had just indicated to her.

As David entered the Granny's, Ruby felt her hair stand up on end. The girl watched him look around, then stare at her for a while before catching her up.  
“ Hey.” he said slightly smiling.  
Ruby smiled in turn. “ Hey.”   
David looked around again. “ Have you seen Mary Margaret?” he asked, just while she was asking : “ How are you?” , so that none of them understood what the other said. They briefly laughed upon it together.  
“ You go.” David said smiling, vaguely aiming at her with his hand.  
The waitress shook her head. “ Oh, no, tell me. I think you said something about Mary? “  
“ Oh yes, I can't find her. I mean, she wasn't home when I woke up, so I thought that she could be here, but she isn't. “  
Red shrugged. “ Well, she wasn't around this morning, but I smelled her scent when I got out of the car, so she walked by Main Street before we opened the diner. “   
David pursued his lips, glancing down and leaning his arms on the counter. “ Maybe she just needed some air.” he murmured, lost in thought.   
Ruby furrowed her brow. Perhaps he was right, but if he wasn't... “ Yeah, maybe. Or maybe she went at Regina's to check Emma.”   
David suddenly looked at her with his eyes wide open, then slapped his forehead with a hand.   
“ I'm an idiot! Thank you, Rubes!” he said already walking away, but the girl shouted at him.  
“ Dave, wait! We have to talk!”   
“ Later!” he yelled in response storming out of the diner. When the door closed he had already disappeared beyond the limited field of view that the glass window offered to the werewolf.   
Ruby sighed, beginning again to clean the counter. “ No way you can talk with one of them if the other isn't around. I almost miss the curse...” she muttered insisting on rubbing a coffee stain that seemed fused with the linoleum, seen the effort she was making to clean it.   
“ Do you really miss it, Ruby?” Granny asked her while putting a cup of coffee in front of a man sitting at the counter.  
The waitress shrugged. “ Sometimes. You know, not being a monster was nice. People didn't get like me to save me from others like me. “   
Granny gave a soft sigh and caressed her shoulder while walking behind her to take a clean cup.   
“ Oh, Ruby, David will be fine, he's a strong man, pure of heart, and Snow will help him. Don't waste time feeling guilty, fill it being grateful that you have such good friends. He's not dead, he's more alive than never, you should know better. I bet he's happy to be able to protect Snow in a far more effective way than a couple of lunges. “   
The waitress locked gaze with her grandmother, a slight surprise to widen her eyes.   
“ B-but he could even hurt her...”  
“ What does they always say?”   
Ruby frowned. “ What?”  
Granny sighed and shook her head, her hands on her hips. “ "True Love is the most powerful magic", don't they repeat it like a mantra?”   
“ Oh, yeah, right...” Red slightly blushed and glanced down. Her grandmother got closer to her and somehow forced her to lock gaze with her. Sometimes Ruby thought that Granny hid some kind of telepathic power.   
“ Stop worrying for them and do something instead. You let him run away like a hare. Are you a wolf or not? What are you waiting for before joining your friend and talk to him? You're a pack now, Red. A tiny one, but a pack. You must help him if you think that he needs it. If you feel it. Run out of here and be yourself, child. I can handle it.”   
Ruby watched Granny as if she was a stranger. But she was right, she felt the urge to go and talk with David. She smiled to her grandmother.   
“ Thank you.” she said before taking off the apron and storming out of the diner.

When David arrived at the large white mansion he was completely breathless. He stopped as he saw his wife and Rapunzel chat on the stairs of Regina's porch. The prince leaned his hands on his knees, trying to take breath. Snow noted him when Rapunzel nodded towards him.  
“ David!” she exclaimed, suddenly standing up and joining him. “ What are you doing here? Have you run?”   
He tried to answer, but he still needed air, so just nodded, raising a hand as to ask her to wait.   
“ Hey, take a breath, Prince! A wolf-like run is quite tiring for a half-wolf.” Rapunzel said with a a smile from the porch. David nodded at her.  
“ Yeah, I noted... Wait...” He stood up, gazing at the warrior. “ "A wolf-like run"?” he asked, confused. He thought he was normally running.  
“ Aye! Didn't you notice your speed?”  
David shook his head. Rapunzel looked concerned, then her face relaxed and she shrugged.  
“ The full moon is close. Your transformation is accelerated, I guess.”   
“ Ah.” David said, glancing at Snow White. Her name was never so appropriate seen the color of her face. “ It will be fine, Snow. I feel good.”  
“ And you'll feel better and better, trust me.”   
Ruby's unforeseen voice startled him. David turned to look at her. She looked somehow different, but he couldn't get what was different in her.   
“ Well, that's good news.” he said with a smile, glancing at his wife. She was staring at Ruby.  
“ I'm not afraid for me, Red. “ she said to her friend, stepping forward. David found himself between the two women, so he stepped back to let them space. “ I was there. I saw how you were after... Well, you know...” Snow's voice faltered. She had told him about Ruby's boyfriend, Peter, if memory served him. So, when David turned again to look at the woman, he was sure to find regret and sorrow in her eyes. For this he gave a jump when he found nothing else than determination in Ruby's green eyes.  
“ I promise you that I won't let it happen again. I was out of control because I didn't know my nature, but David does! There's nothing to fear, Snow, trust me.” the waitress locked gaze with him “ But I need to talk to you. “  
Charming gazed at his wife. “ Is it all right here?” he asked, glancing at the mansion.  
“ Yes, yes!” Snow answered, tensely smiling. Lovely liar... “ Don't worry, I'm fine. Go!” she exclaimed waving her hands in the air. “ Learn how to howl without seeming a dying donkey!” she laughed, stabbing him with her words.  
“ I thought you liked it!” he whispered leaning forward, frowned.   
Snow gave him a quick kiss. “ Of course I do. Go, now! If Regina sees us all in her garden she'll have a hysteric! “   
She forced him to turn and pushed him towards Ruby, who stepped back and let him pass.   
“ Mh, if she didn't have it with you storming in her home at this hour...” she said pursuing her lips before smirking. “ Or has she already kicked you off of the house?”  
“ Actually Rapunzel pulled me off of it.” Snow replied sticking out her tongue to her friend.  
“ Before that there was any victim!” the warrior loudly said from the porch.   
All them three stifled a laughter. Snow glanced at her.  
“ There's still time!” the teacher said sneering.   
“ Red, please, take her away from here!” the warrior jokingly begged the werewolf, making her laugh.   
“ I'm trying to!”  
“ Be more convincing!”  
“ How?”  
“ Dunno, bite her!”   
Red briefly laughed. “ Mh, thats not a bad idea...” she said tapping a finger against her lips and gazing at Snow White, who glared at her.   
“ Come on! “ she grunted. “ Go away, Rubes! “  
“ Are you afraid that I could be annoyed by the fact that you and your gang are chatting in my garden, trying to hide it to me instead of coming inside or, at least, say goodbye to me, your daughter and your grandson and go somewhere else, Miss Blanchard? I can suggest you the public park if you lack of ideas, seen that you like the green areas instead of the close ones. I've created it for people to gather and chat, after all.”   
David gazed up at Regina, standing on her door, glaring at his wife. Rapunzel had stood up and was repressing a smile while looking at the brunette. Charming glanced at Mary Margaret. She was very, very pale.   
“ D-did you hear what we were saying?” she questioned the former Mayor, loudly swallowing then. David lifted his eyebrows. Why was she so afraid?  
Regina sneered, but her eyes stayed two burning, penetrating black diamonds.   
“ No, I didn't. “ she said, and Snow visibly relaxed. Then Regina's eyes glittered, and David had to make an effort not to step back. He knew that stare. “ But I've heard you, seen that you were crying out loud your less educative homophobia. I guess that everyone heard you, actually. Emma was really embarrassed when she heard you yell, you know, dear? And you know what I saw on her face then, when she stopped blushing?” Regina angrily asked, stepping forward, but not leaving her porch. “ Delusion.” she said, devilishly smiling. “ It was so intense that I felt it here.” the brunette added, pressing her right hand over her chest, above her heart. “ It hurt me, I can only imagine what she felt. Can you?” she asked with a pleased, evil smile curving her lips.   
It was enough. David walked forward and put himself between the former queen and his wife, but as he opened his mouth to speak Emma appeared behind Regina, glaring at her.  
“ Hey! It's none of your business, Regina! I can tell her myself!” she shouted.  
Regina turned to face her. “ None of my business, dear? That idiot comes at my house to control if I have... perverted her poor innocent daughter just because I love a woman!”   
“ No! Not because you love her, because of who you are! You corrupt people! You make them do horrible things!” Snow cried in response, walking towards the porch to face the brunette.  
Regina gritted her teeth and, with a lower tone, basically snarled at Snow White: “ So making love is a horrible thing?”   
“ Yes if it is with you!”   
Regina wrinkled her nose. “ Are you completely out of your mind?”  
Snow climbed a stair and got closer to the former queen, then snorted and talked in an angry whisper, so David had to make an effort to hear her.  
“ Out of my mind? As far as I know, of the four men that slept with you three died because of you, and one killed for you.”   
David saw Regina goggle, then her face was contorted by a tremendous rage, and she moved her hand. Snow bent and grasped her throat with her mouth wide opened, trying to breathe. The Prince ran to his wife, feeling something agitate inside him. Something big and hairy, with yellow eyes and long fangs.   
Emma grabbed Regina's stretched arm. “ Stop it, Regina!” she cried, but the former queen ignored her.   
“ Because of me? “ she growled “ Because of me?! Daniel died because of you, stupid child! Your oh-so-good father used me like a toy for you and for him, good to use when he felt too sad and lonely for his wife's death! The Genie killed him because he could see it by himself! I didn't even need to ask him to do it!” the brunette shouted, tears sliding over her face. David felt bad hearing this words, but his wife was suffocating.   
“ Regina let her breathe!” he cried holding Snow, who had fallen on her knees.  
He gazed up, and saw Rapunzel cup Regina's face with her hands and force her to look at her, holding back her own tears.  
“ Don't do it, my love.” she whispered, so sadly that David had to look away. But he had to watch. His eyes leaned again on the warrior's face. “ It's over now.” a tear ran over the warrior's cheek, and the grasp on Snow's throat loosened a bit. The princess inhaled all the air that she could, coughing then. Regina was still choking her, but not that much to kill her. “ Henry won't like it if you kill his grandmother.” Rapunzel forcedly smirked, and the grip completely loosened as Regina suddenly dropped her arm. David caught a glimpse of the blonde kissing the brunette's forehead before hugging Mary Margaret tight.  
His wife hugged him back for less than three seconds. She gently but firmly pushed him away and stared at the former Mayor, hate in her eyes. She gave a glance at Emma, and so David did. Their daughter was open-mouthed, slowly alternating her shocked stare between them and Regina.   
“ And what about Graham?” Snow suddenly asked with a hoarse voice and a tone that he had never heard from her. He stared in frightened surprise at his wife. He thought she had overcome it.   
“ Snow...” he murmured with a hint of voice, but she ignored him.  
Regina's glare darted towards Snow White for a moment, then the brunette glanced down. She hid herself between Rapunzel's arms, who looked confused, and sad. And angry. She glared at him, no, at Mary Margaret.   
David gazed at Emma.   
She was staring at Regina now, still open-mouthed but her eyes were wide open, more than before, and a few tears were falling from them on her pale skin.  
“ Why did you kill him? He raped you, too?” Snow went on with hate sharping her words.   
“ Mom...” Emma murmured, glancing at her.  
“ Or it's my fault? “  
“ Mom...”  
“ Cora managed to kill him from the Enchanted Forest?”  
“ Mary Margaret...”   
“ You wanna blame Emma, this time? “   
“ Mary Margaret!”  
“ Which one, Regina? Why...?”   
“ Snow White!” Emma shouted, startling her parents. The Princess finally locked gaze with her, astonished: Emma looked furious, and sad, terribly sad. David's heart clenched at that sight.  
“ Stop it, please.” Emma whispered, weeping. “ Stop it. It hurts too much.”   
A movement caught David's attention: Regina had turned to look at her, astonished. She glanced down, shut her eyes close for a second, and Emma gave a sigh of relief as she opened them. The two women locked gaze, both weeping, both equally sad and grateful.   
“ She was desperate. “ Emma whispered still looking at Regina, who glanced down again. Rapunzel kissed her head with her eyes shut, slightly tightening the hug. “ She was afraid to lose Henry. She... she thought that it was the only way to keep the curse intact. I can't forgive her.” Emma said, and Regina gazed at her. The Savior slightly smirked. “ But I can understand."


	29. Don't look back

Henry ran down the stairs, his plaid shirt lifting behind him like a coat. He jumped the last three stairs and rushed in the kitchen, ready to take his mother's scolding for his ruffled, still wet hair. He had a shower, but he didn't want to waste time drying his hair. It was warm outside, anyway. He turned the corner with his mouth open, ready to explain, but the kitchen was empty. He was about to try with the living room when he heard some voices coming from the outside. The boy walked out of home.  
“ But I can understand. “ Emma was saying, staring at his mom, hugged by Rapunzel. His grandparents were kneeled on the ground, Charming hugging Snow White, and Ruby was just standing next to them with a weird expression on her face.  
“ What's happening?” the boy asked, a terrible feeling about what had happened, and what was about to happen.   
“ Hey, kid...” Emma called him. The boy turned to look at her. “ It's all right don't worry. We just had an argument, but now it's okay. “ she said, glaring at Mary Margaret.   
Henry let his gaze wander over all of them. Regina reassuringly smiled at him.  
“ It was just the kind of talk that me and your grandmother usually have, sweetie. Nothing new.” she smirked, stifling a laughter. Henry frowned, because she was lying and she wasn't at the same time, and he couldn't understand how it could be possible.   
“ Are you working today, Miss Blanchard?” Regina asked, interrupting his thoughts.   
Mary Margaret weakly nodded.   
“ Well then, would you mind take Henry with you? The bus has already passed, and you're both almost late. It would be idiotic to go all of us at the school, as you're Henry's grandmother and his teacher. This qualifies you as a proper person to carry him to school, right? Oh, and... seen your actual... state of mind, I'd feel more secure if Mr Nolan could kindly accompany you both? “   
Henry watched his grandparents stand up.  
“ Of course.” David gloomily said, his eyes fixed on the ground.   
Regina gave a satisfied smile. “ Good.” she coldly said “ I'm sure to leave him in good hands.” she added in a threatening tone. Henry glanced at Emma, who pressed her lips in a smile.   
“ Go take your backpack, kid.” she whispered nodding towards the inside of the house, winking thn at him. Henry quickly smiled at her and, giving a last glance to his adoptive mother, ran inside the house.

Mary Margaret, David, Henry and Ruby disappeared behind the tall edge that enclosed Regina's garden.   
Emma gazed at Regina. “ Will this ever end?” she tiredly asked, sighing.   
The former Mayor glared at her and went inside the house. At Rapunzel polite beckoning Emma followed the brunette. Shaya closed the door behind them, silently walking upstairs then.   
“ Regina...” the Savior followed the fleeing woman in the kitchen. When she entered it, she was already washing the cups. “ Can you at least answer me?”  
The brunette bored holes into her with her gaze. “ You shouldn't ask it to me, Emma. “   
The blonde sighed again, rolling her eyes. “ Oh, really? Is it so? She started it, blame her?” she asked in exasperation, putting her hands on her hips.   
Regina just shook her head, going on washing her cup as if she wanted to grind it.   
“ Regina!” Emma called her out opening her arms, her patience just a far memory. The brunette suddenly dropped the cup and turned to look at her, startling the Savior.   
“ Yes! Yes, exactly, she started it, blame her! Blame her for her lack of faith in you, Emma! Have you understood how idiotic was her reason to be here, this morning? She thought that we were having sex, and she ran here to save you from the evil lesbian queen and her girlfriend! She can't even accept the fact that Shaya actually loves me! She can't understand how someone can love me!” Regina's voice broke, and here dark eyes got wet. Emma felt something pinch her heart. The former Queen glanced down and started washing the cups again.   
“ Regina...” Emma softly said, crestfallen.   
The brunette went on talking without looking at her. “ She never knew me, but she should know you, she should trust you. What she did was an insult to you, Emma. “   
The Savior frowned. “ For this you got that angry?”   
Regina glanced at her. “ If you're asking if I tried to kill her for this, no. I did it because I can't stand her lies. She keeps depicting me as the evil one. She should take a look at her mirror. Look what she was able to do to you, today...” she added in a lower tone, sadly gazing at her. Regina shut off the water and leaned against the basin, locking gaze with her. Her stare was so full of regret that Emma had to look away.  
“ I took much from you. “ she just said.   
The pain that Emma was feeling couldn't be all her own.   
“ What's done is done.” she said in response, barely able to glance at the former Queen. Graham's face was the only thing she could think about in that moment.   
“ I'm sorry.” Regina whispered. Emma locked gaze with her. The brunette was about to weep, but she was holding back her tears.   
The Savior forced herself to sneer at the former Queen. “ Since when you care about me?”   
Regina gave a smirk. “ You were the first one to believe me, to... defend me, even though you knew who I was. So, to answer to your question, since that day, Emma. Since the day I realized that you saw me just as Regina, and not as the Evil Queen.”  
Emma stared at the brunette. “ "Evil" is quite a childish way to call someone. “ she muttered “ Guess it isn't so in Fairy Tale Land.”   
Regina slightly smirked. “ You keep calling it Fairy Tale Land... It's the Enchanted Forest, Emma. It's not a fairy tale place, it's a realm with several kingdoms. Just like... Europe, a few centuries ago. Calling someone "evil" sounds childish to you? Imagine how childish may sound to me to hear you call my motherland, the one from where I ran away, Fairy Tale Land. It was nothing like a fairy tale, I think you got this. Maybe it was it for Cinderella, or for Snow White, until I interrupted her marriage, at least. You went there. Was it so good?”   
Emma swallowed. Ogres, a devastated land, weird food. No, she hadn't exactly enjoyed her short stay in the Enchanted Forest. “ No, but it can't have always been that way. I mean, I didn't exactly studied Henry's book, but the realm looked beautiful in the images...”   
Regina arched an eyebrow. “ Oh, you looked only the images, uh?” she mockingly asked. Emma glared at her, making her snort.  
“ I guess that the lack of rulers, due to the curse, might have caused a bit of... chaos in the Enchanted Forest...” the brunette finally admitted with a sigh.  
“ Yeah, a bit...” Emma commented, pursuing her lips.   
Regina narrowed her eyes, a slight sneer curving her lips. “ What's the matter? The people always blames the ruler for their problems, now they saw what not having a ruler means. They wanted my head on a plate? Good, now they'll have to collect their owns, cut off by the same bandits I protected them from. A pretty Princess and her boyfriend can't evidently do much for them. I showed them time ago, but they didn't want to listen. They protected a bandit, well, dear, that a bandit may take their life. “  
Emma stared at the burning rage in Regina's eyes. Here we go, she thought, I awakened the beast. Hell.  
“ Better if we don't touch this argument, Regina. I'm conflicted.   
And I wasn't there, I can't judge just by yours or Mary Margaret's opinion. I really don't like my position. “   
Regina slightly tilted her head to one side and waved a hand in the air, turning to wash the last cup in the basin. “ How diplomatic of you, Miss Swan.”   
Emma smirked. “ Just trying to avoid a fireball.”   
Regina archly glared at her. “ Oh, is it so? You're just stringing me along with your newfound talking abilities only to avoid my inevitable rage towards anyone who tries to defend Snow White?”   
The Savior glanced down repressing a laughter. “ I should probably deny everything now.” she said glancing at the brunette, who contracted her lips to hold back a smile.   
“ Only if you like to breathe.” Regina replied while drying the cups.  
Emma suddenly joined her. “ Wait.” she said grabbing a cup and raising a hand, palm up, inviting the former Mayor to give her the dishcloth.  
Regina uselessly tried to hide the surprise. “ There's no need...” she began to say, but Emma stopped her snatching the dishcloth from her hand.  
“ There is, instead! You and Shaya did everything yesterday and today, let me dry four cups at least! Plus, think about this: if Mary Margaret is spying us and sees us washing cups together, she'll have a heart attack. She'd probably see it as the proof that, I don't know, we've secretly got married. You might like the thing.” Emma sneered, aware that it was probably the truth.   
Regina frowned, pursuing her lips. “ And what about the rings?”  
“ The rings? Well, we don't wear them so to not let her know about us.”   
“ Mh...” Regina seemed to think about it “ It could work...”   
Emma gave her a glance. “ Mine wasn't an advice, Regina.”  
The brunette smirked at her, handing her a wet cup. “ That's a pity! It was a brilliant plan to kill her! You'd have been useful thirty years ago...”  
Emma snorted. “ Well, in this case, forgive me for not even existing at the time.”  
“ I can't. I have a reputation to defend.”  
“ Oh, right.”  
“ Now I should probably lock you up into my dungeon and leave you there to starve to death.”   
“ Sounds appropriate.” Emma nodded “ But, if you do it, Mary... sorry, Snow White can never see us acting like newlyweds and my "brilliant plan" won't ever work.”   
Regina looked at her with an amused and slightly admired face. “ You're right. “  
“ You could always tie her up to your bed and show Snow White how gorgeous your name sounds when cried out in pleasure.”   
Emma's cheeks reddened at Rapunzel's words. The images that they had summoned weren't amusing nor wanted. The Savior glared at her, repressing a shiver. “ You wish!”   
“ Shaya!” Regina scolded the sneering warrior “ Ah, your mercenary-like manners had to be shown sooner or later, isn't it?”   
The blonde raised and eyebrow, a half smile furrowing her left cheek. “ Really? Do you really want to talk about verbal roughness?”   
Emma saw the former Queen blush and struggle not to look away. The Savior frowned, but she couldn't help but smirk. So Regina wasn't that regal when alone with her partner, uh?  
“ It was an effective plan, however.” Regina muttered, glaring at the warrior while handing Emma the last cup.  
The Savior grinned at the brunette when she glanced at her. “ Why don't we talk about your verbal roughness instead, Your Majesty?” Emma mocked her. Regina slightly blushed again, but kept looking at her.   
“ I'm afraid that you'll never have the pleasure, dear.” she said with a cold smile, gazing then at Rapunzel. “ I thought that you liked my name always.”  
The warrior nodded once, smiling. “ I do.”  
“ And what do you know about it being screamed then?”   
Shaya's cheek slightly reddened. “ Nothing.” she said, pursuing then her lips “ Yet.” she added, sneering.   
Emma rolled her eyes, sighing. The situation was becoming embarrassing. It was it since the beginning, actually. She set the dried cup down and sighed again.  
“ Well, my corruptive, evil, pervert hosts, it's time for me to run away from you and go to save this town from any form of evilness.” she announced, making them smile. “ So if you'd let me use the bathroom first, I'll be out of here in five minutes.”   
Regina waved a hand towards the hall. “ Run away before I change my mind!” she dramatically said.   
Shaya stifled a laughter. “ Watch out, Pure of Heart! The abyss of luxury in Regina's bedroom may swallow you! The way to the bathroom is full of perils and temptations...”   
Emma forced herself not to laugh. “ I'll be careful! “ she said passing behind Regina and then before Rapunzel to exit the kitchen. She was out when a though hit her mind. She walked back and sticked out her head, gazing at them. “ Please, hold on till I'm out of here. I don't wanna walk into you two doing the do-do on the sofa when I'm going out.”   
Both of them stifled a laughter. Rapunzel then tried to get serious. “ I promise.” she said.  
Emma significantly stared at Regina, who rolled her eyes. “ Promise.”   
The Savior gratefully smiled at the brunette. “ Thanks!” she said before rushing upstairs.

“ What's happening to her?” David asked in a suffered murmur, his glassy eyes fixed on the door of the school, where Snow had just disappeared.   
Ruby sighed. “ She's fighting.”   
Charming confusedly stared at her. “ It looks more like she's surrendering...”   
“ No, Dave. “ the werewolf sadly smirked “ She's right in the middle of a battle against herself. That's why she flies off the handle at the slightest provocation. Even if there's no provocation at all.”   
The man tilted his head, frowning. “ With Regina there's always a provocation.” he grumbled, leaning his eyes on the door again.  
Ruby gave a slight snort. “ True.”   
They stayed in silence for a while. David needed time, and Ruby wasn't in a haste. A light, a little too fresh wind was making her hair fly to her right, freshening her face, bringing the smell of Storybrooke to her nostrils. She liked the wind. It made her somehow feel free, serene. Red closed her eyes, enjoying the cloudy day, the sprinkling of sun rays that irregularly caressed her cheeks, warming them before that the wind would wipe the heat away.   
“ Do you think that she'll win it over?” David suddenly asked. His voice was barely audible. “ The darkness.”   
Ruby opened her eyes and stared at him until he turned to look at her. He was shattered, but there was hope in his eyes. As always. “ Show her the path, and she will. You're the one who can save her, David. I'll talk to her, too, but now it's too soon. She needs her True Love, not her best friend. If you stop believing in her, she's lost.”   
The Prince gave a start. “ I'll never stop believing in her!”  
“ Good.” Ruby said with a satisfied smile. “ The first time I transformed into a wolf here in Storybrooke, do you remember it? Well, when I was alone with Belle, she told me a thing. She said that you saw the good in me, and that it told her that there was good in me. She said: " So if we can all see it, why can’t you?". And I saw it, Dave. I was still too afraid, but I truly believed her. So, make Snow feel loved. Make her feel the love that she feels for you, make her forget the fear. Let her realize that her heart is still ninety percent fucking bright! I think that she didn't yet. She sees only that damn spot, so she gets scared, I can smell it, and then she freaks out! She's terrorized by the idea to become like Regina, but she's not Regina!”   
“ Snow will never be that ruthless, and she knows it! But she was afraid for Emma today, it wasn't about...”  
“ But afraid for what, David? Emma and Regina are bounded, by Henry and by magic. You weren't there, but when Regina was dying, Emma's power frightened me. If Regina won't teach her how to control it... There was nothing left of Finnegan. Nothing, David. I believe that Regina is just trying to protect Emma from herself. “  
“ Or herself from Emma.”   
Ruby shrugged. “ Even, probably. And Henry, and Rapunzel. But by doing this, she's protecting all of us. Emma is a timebomb, Dave. I love her, but she's dangerous. I felt it. And Pan knew it, or he wouldn't have left Neverland. “   
David narrowed his eyes. “ What do you mean? He wanted Emma to go to the Enchanted Forest...”  
“ Yep. But only for that? I don't think so. I mean, in all of this years he couldn't find another way to go there? I don't know, a tamed mermaid? Nah. I believe that he wanted Emma for a precise reason, beyond the portal thing. Have to talk with Rapunzel 'bout that.” she added in a murmur, thinking loud more than talking with the Prince.  
David sighed loudly. “ Mh, maybe. Who cares, anyway? Pan is dead.”   
“ He is, yeah, but what about the others?”  
The man frowned. “ Who?”  
Ruby sighed. She was ingenuous, but not that ingenuous. “ If Peter Pan got to know about Emma from freaking Neverland, don't you think that someone else, maybe more dangerous, maybe closer will know it? And maybe they'll be some sick bastards seeking for power or whatever and want Emma just like him?”  
Charmings face fell. “ Oh.”  
“ Yep. We need to find out what Pan wanted so much to start a battle against an entire town, and die for it. “   
“ He was crazy, Rubes...”  
“ Yes, but not stupid. “   
The Prince sighed again, then nodded once. “ Okay, you won. We'll find it out. “ Ruby triumphantly smiled. “ Yay!”  
“ And what about me?” he asked.  
Red locked gaze with him. “ You? Well, Dave, you have to do exactly the same as Snow.” Charming's questioning look pushed her to go on. “ You must accept who you are.” 

“ I'm not.”  
“ You most surely are!”  
“ I'm not! “  
“ You are!”   
“ For fuck's sake, Hook, I'm not blushing!”   
The pirate laughed hard. “ "For fuck's sake?" Thought that the Queen had more influence on you.”  
Swan evidently tried not to laugh. “ Well, she doesn't! And I'm not blushing!”   
“ Ah, your stubbornness is tiring, Swan! I saw it!”   
“ Well you must suffer from hallucinations, Hook! I wasn't blushing. Maybe you should stop drinking. “  
The pirate lifted an eyebrow and sneered. “ Maybe I would if you'd occupy my mouth with something else...”   
The woman slapped his right arm. “ Hook!”   
He laughed again. “ Relax, Swan! It's not like I'd really let you kiss me this easily...”   
Emma glared at him. “ Of course.”   
“ Oh, don't pretend to be mad at me! You know you're just pissed off because you can't fuck the Queen... “   
“ Killian! I don't absolutely...”  
“ ... but if you ever get to do it, give me a shout. I'd be glad to participate.”   
The Savior rolled her eyes puffing her cheeks. “ Men...” she murmured sighing.  
Killian enjoyed the sight of the woman's annoyed face.   
“ So...” she began slightly narrowing her eyes “ Why did Pan want you dead? What did you do to him?”   
The pirate agitated in the bed and looked away. He didn't really want to talk about that. “ Nothing. “  
Swan gave him a skeptic glance. “ Nothing? Really? Didn't you, like, I don't know, kidnapped a girl called Wendy or something?”   
Killian suddenly turned to look at her. “ How do you know about Wendy?! “   
He watched her stifle a laugh, confused. “ It's the tale, Killian. I know only the tale.” she said, beautifully smiling, but a second after she became serious, making him frown. “ What happened really?” she asked stooping towards him, leaning the weight on her arms, bent over her long thighs.  
The pirate sighed. It was a story he'd rather not tell. A painful, old story. But her smart, curious stare, interested in what he had to say, for once...  
“ I actually kidnapped Wendy, yes.” he finally said, trying to detach from his own words, form his past. “ But only to save her. “   
Emma furrowed her brows. “ Save her? From Pan?”   
Hook nodded once. “ Aye.” he then looked up at her “ Do you believe me?”  
Emma shrugged. “ Ain't that hard. Pan basically confessed that he raped a fairy...”   
The pirate felt a shiver of anger and disgust run through his spine. Regret filled his eyes. “ I tried to free her, but I could carry just one of them, and she told me to save Wendy...”  
“ Wait, you saw the fairy?”  
Killian locked gaze with the Savior, then nodded. “ Aye.”   
Emma seemed to have understood something because her eyes suddenly widened and her jaw fell dropped. “ Tell me that her name wasn't Tinkerbell.” she said. Hook cocked an eyebrow and shrugged.  
“ Never knew her name, if it can help.”  
Emma gave a slight sigh of relief and leaned back against the chair. “ Maybe a bit. So, what happened then to Wendy?”   
Killian forced himself to sneer. He didn't want to go on with the story. “ You look like a child waiting for the goodnight story!” he tried to play for time, but Swan was too smart to rise the bait.   
“ Then tell me that fucking story before I fall asleep!”   
Hook snorted before going on. “ As the lady wishes. “ he sighed “ As I said, I took Wendy away from him, and we tried to run away with the Jolly Roger, but we obviously couldn't, not without magic. Pan intercepted us, and he and the Lost Boys flew on the the ship and attacked us. I tried. But I failed. Wendy fell off board during the battle, and I've never seen her again. Maybe the mermaids took her somewhere safe, maybe she drowned. I don't know. Peter swore revenge over me and flew away. I had wounded him. “  
Emma gave a smirk. “ He was never good in fighting, so.”  
Killian forcedly stretched his lips in a smile. “ Indeed.” he murmured, glancing outside the window.   
“ Hey.” Emma exclaimed after some minutes of silence. The pirate swallowed and turned to look at her. “ Did I say something wrong?” she asked frowning.  
He couldn't help but smiling at her. “ Nah! I was just overthinking. When I finally get out of here, I want to play again that game that Victor taught me.”  
“ Pool?”  
“ Aye!”   
The blonde offered him a light laugh. “ I bet I'd thrash you!”   
He rose an eyebrow. “ Is this a call out, Swan?”   
The Savior grinned. “ Of course it is.”  
He was about to reply to her when her face changed drastically. She paled, swallowing. The girl looked terribly worried.  
“ Swan? What is it?” he demanded anxiously, leaning forward. Emma moved a hand, motioning him to shut up and wait. Her eyes were fixed on nothing.  
After several minutes, a torture for him, she gazed at him with wide open eyes.  
“ Gotta go. Don't move, see you later.” she said leaping up and then storming out of his room.   
Killian sighed, raising his hands and then dropping them down. “ Women!” he grunted. 

Shaya's tongue was tangled with hers when the most hateful sound she had ever heard filled her brain. Regina's eyes snapped open. Shaya's stayed shut.  
“ Mmmmnooo, ignore the bastard...” she muttered against her lips, that arched into the tiniest of the smiles.   
“ I'd like to, but everybody knows we're inside...”  
“ The devil may take them!”   
Regina gave her a snort, rubbing her face against hers, shamelessly self-remembering a cat. She gave the blonde a quick kiss over her cheek while "the bastard" knocked again.   
“ We could ask him...” Regina purred. Shaya slightly shuddered, then moved forwards and gently bit her neck, pleasingly startling her.   
“ We definitely should.” she whispered sighing when Ruby's voice came from outside, calling for her.  
“ Shaya, please! I know you're inside! Need to ask you a thing!”   
The warrior gently pushed with her hands against her waist, moving the brunette, whose body was holding her still against the kitchen. Shaya pressed her lips against Regina's once again before heading for the door.   
Regina leaned against the wall and watched her slam it open. “ What is it, Cub?” she asked, visibly irritated. The half of Ruby's face that Regina could see from that angulation was scared enough to make her smirk in amusement.  
“ Oh...uhm... Sorry. I know you were busy. “  
“ Indeed.”   
“ But it's important.”  
“ Make that tongue move or you'll regret that mine stopped, Red!”   
Regina had to stifle a laugh. Shaya had to be really annoyed to talk that way. She was too, actually. It seemed that they couldn't enjoy more than five minutes together without someone running at her place to warn them for something. She missed the times when they feared her.  
“ Y-yes, sorry, uhm... It's about Pan. And Emma. More about Emma than Pan, actually.”   
Regina stepped forward. “ She's fine.” she said, absolutely sure about it. It was an awareness. As she knew that it was morning, she knew that Emma was absolutely fine. So what was Ruby talking about?  
“ Oh, yes, didn't mean she isn't. But I think she's in troubles.”  
Regina shared a glance with Shaya. “ Why?” she then asked, locking gaze with the waitress. Ruby swallowed hard.  
“ Well, I just thought... She's powerful, right? Pan wanted her to open a portal, and it's okay, I got it, but... Really? Peter Pan, the one who didn't even wanted to grow up, dies for a portal to the Enchanted Forest? “ Ruby's lips became two thin lines. “ I don't think so. “  
Regina thought about it. What the girl was saying didn't totally lack of logic. But it was even possible that the fake munchkin was simply out of his mind. “ So what are you suggesting, Miss Lucas? That Pan wanted Emma to open a portal and for... something else? Something he didn't want us to know? “  
Red nodded rapidly with her eyes wide open. “ Yes! I think that there's something about Emma that we don't know, but somehow he got to know it. And if he did, someone else could.”   
The former Queen clenched her jaw, thinking. How could have Pan possibly known something about the Savior when she didn't? A prophecy? Pixie dust? A seer? She looked at Shaya, trying to find the answers in her eyes.   
“ What do you think?” she asked her with soft voice. Shaya sighed.  
“ I think that I'm a dullard, and that you're right, Red. Pan wasn't one to risk his life for a new camp in the Enchanted Forest. Maybe the fairy told him something. You know, they know much about magic, more than us. And it mustn't be easy to keep a secret when Pan wants to know something, or so they said. Maybe he didn't torture them only for fun, perhaps he wanted an information. Heard you guys call her the Savior. What does it means? “   
Regina gave a loud sigh. She should have given her some explanations before, egoistic dolt of her!  
“ I cast the Dark Curse over all of them, but Snow and Charming managed to ship the newborn Emma here before that, so she was not affected by it. She was the one who could break the curse after twenty-eight years, and she did it. The prophecy named her as "the Savior".” Regina said quickly. She ignored the hint of regret that poked her heart. What had happened to Emma, her life, had been a collateral damage. She had never stopped despising the two idiots for having abandoned her only to save themselves. She would have kept her away from them with the curse, yes, but she would have never hurt an innocent child. Regina innerly smiled when the memory of her idea of adopting the Savior crossed her thoughts.  
“ How?” Shaya softly asked.  
Regina gazed at her. The blonde was frowning, a slight worry narrowing her eyes. The Gaze. The brunette repressed a smile.  
“ True Love's kiss. To Henry.”  
Shaya sneered. “ I read that it was always a problem to you.”  
Regina had to stifle a laughter. “ Yeah, it was.” she said, smiling at her. She saw Shaya's eyes brighten before that the warrior glanced down. The blonde cleared her throat, then gazed at the perplexed waitress.  
“ So, I might assume that Emma's power comes from love, which makes me quite uncomfortable seen what she did when she protected you from Finnegan, but it's fine, I'll just take it as friendly love. “ she said smirking at her, making her snort. Regina opened her mouth to protest, but Shaya raised a finger and continued. “ And this is quite a rare quality. Aren't many the casters whose power doesn't come from rage. So, her own being might be Pan's reason to will to have her so much. Seen how interested in fairies he was, and their magic is quite love-based too, maybe he needed that kind of power to do something. Fairies are powerful, but not as True Love. Perhaps they failed, and he needed someone stronger. Still I could be wrong. Perhaps he... What if Neverland wasn't enough for him? What if he wanted to rule the Enchanted Forest through Emma's power?”  
Regina frowned at her. “ How? He could never convince her...”   
“ Really? He mistook thinking that he could defeat us, but what if he did? We would be dead, all of us, but Emma and the children.”  
Regina opened wide her eyes. “ Henry.”   
Shaya nodded once. “ Indeed.”  
Ruby filled the brief silence that followed. “ No, wait, this is senseless. He could kill you all in Neverland, and threat Emma there. Why wait?”  
“ Magic is too strong in Neverland. He knew that he couldn't defeat us in there. I almost killed him when he attacked us. And Henry was safe in Shaya's hollow, he couldn't take him.” Regina answered gloomily. She glanced at Shaya, finding that she was staring at her.   
“ I think he even wanted to be sure. He wanted a demonstration of Emma's power. I'd wanted it if I had to risk my life to own it.” the warrior commented, still staring at her. She had a strange expression that Regina couldn't fathom.  
“ What is it?” she asked her, worried. Shaya pursued her lips and raised her brows.  
“ We still don't know how he knew about Emma.”   
Regina glanced down, thinking. There were too many answers. “ I don't know... Neal, August, Greg, Tamara... The book, maybe there's another one. Perhaps there was a seer in Neverland.”   
Shaya nodded in agreement.   
“ Fine. Red, please, do me a favor, you're faster: go to Rumplestiltskin and tell him the whole thing. We need his protection. “   
Ruby nodded once at her. “ Okay. Anything else?”  
“ Aye: be careful.” Shaya smirked at her. The girl gave her a smile and ran away, too fast for her eyes to catch the movement.  
“ Can you warn Emma, love?”   
Regina smirked at her. “ Already done. She was listening.”  
Shaya gave her a loving smile. “ Good.” she said, exhaling heavily. “ Rumple will know what to do. A protective spell may work. And I'll personally kill anyone who dares to bother us again.”   
Regina chuckled. She grabbed her shirt and pulled her inside the house. “ Good, but now come inside. We were talking about something much more interesting than a future enemy.”   
Shaya let her pull her inside, then close the door behind her. Regina pushed her against the white wood, pressing her body against her, enjoying the contact with her tensed body.  
“ Morons. We should get a worse reputation, you know? We need to be feared if we want to be left in peace.”   
Regina laughed softly at the reflection on her same thoughts. “ Exactly my point, dear. Even if I don't know how I could get a reputation worse than the one I already have.”   
Shaya devilishly smile, making her core contract. “ Oh, don't worry honey, I can help you out with that... “   
Regina chuckled, delighted. She stoop her head forward and gave Shaya's neck a quick lick. Shaya moaned and leaned her head against the door with a soft thump. Regina caught a glimpse of her closed eyes, and gently bit her skin, just as she had done several minutes before. Shaya shuddered.   
“ Have I ever told you that I love you?” Regina purred. The warrior moved her hands over her buttocks, then rubbed her thighs until she found the hem of her nightgown. Regina gazed at her, and found a couple of bright blue circles staring back at her.   
“ Not enough times.” Shaya grinned, sliding her hands under the silk. A moment after her face disappeared from Regina's sight, leaving only the white door before her. The former Queen didn't have the time to look down that Shaya's mouth pressed against her sex, through the fabric, forcing her to lean a hand against the wood to keep standing. Regina gazed down, meeting Shaya's stare. Her right hand was pulling down her panties while the left one was lifting the nightgown, rubbing against her inner thigh. Regina could barely breath at the sight of the kneeled warrior. She raised a feet from the ground as Shaya's right hand was demanding, then the other one, letting her throw away her black panties. The left hand was still right under her sex, her nightgown still covering it. Shaya's eyes were burning like blazes.   
“ Lean against the door. Spread your legs.” she murmured with a hoarse voice, her breath pushing the fabric against her and passing through it, making her shiver.  
Regina had to swallow. Her mouth was dry. She was painfully aware that something else was the opposite, though.  
The former Queen obeyed, unable to look away from the warrior's eyes even though she felt her cheeks redden. She wasn't sure that it was embarrass, though.  
Shaya's left hand slowly moved upwards, lifting the dark-grey silk. Her eyes fell right before her, and Regina saw her shake and swallow. While her right hand ran over her left leg she moved forward and gently kissed her lower belly, but more than the kisses themselves was their tough sweetness, the delicate touch of love that made Regina close her eyes not to let go the two, light tears hidden beneath her lids. Shaya was touching her with so much attention, as if she was a delicate, beautiful thing to take care of, and she had never, ever felt that way.   
The hot lips went down as the hand ran up. The burning tongue suddenly darted over her spot, making her muscles contract. Shaya's hand rubbed against her buttock and pushed, getting her closer, the warrior's mouth pressing against her, suffocating her moan. Regina's breath was faster, heavier, she felt her face burn. The brunette looked down and saw and felt Shaya lick her, eyes shut with an expression of half pleasure, half pain furrowing her brow. Shaya made her tongue ran further, sliding between her labia, soaking it with her wetness, then she retracted it and began again licking her clitoris, no more gentle, no more delicate. Regina opened her mouth leaning further against the door, feeling a growing heat spreading from her core, feeling it clench.   
“ Shaya...” Her throaty whisper tightened the warrior's grab over her buttock and hip, and fastened her tongue. Regina slightly bent as her abdomen had a contraction.   
“ S-Shaya...” she repeated, louder. Her hand slid down over the door and pressed against Shaya's nape, the thick, silky tress flattened under her palm, between her fingertips.   
Two fingers penetrated her firmly, and she stifled a scream. Her legs wouldn't hold her for long. She would tell her, but Shaya sucked her clit and began pumping her fingers inside her, quick, hard, quicker. Regina felt the orgasm grow inside her, so intense to choke her, and when Shaya inserted a third finger inside her it was free, and shook her body in waves of pleasure that made her scream.   
She felt on her knees, trembling, her sight fogged. Shaya was no more inside of her. Their foreheads were touching, her hands were caressing her face, her fingers playing with her hair. Regina squeezed her eyes, focusing Shaya's face. It was wet, of her and of tears. Her eyes were utterly close. She was silently weeping. Regina cupped her face with her hands, wiping away the hated tears and kissing her, pining for her smile.   
“ I love you.” she whispered on her lips, willing her eyes to open. But the stream of tears increased, and Shaya squeezed her eyes and leaned forward, trying to hide against her neck. Regina's heart lost a beat.  
“ What's wrong? “ she asked in fear “ What have I done now?”  
Shaya suddenly straightened her back and regretfully stared at her, frantically caressing her face.   
“ Nothing! “ she exclaimed with hoarse voice. She then gave a smile, the brightest Regina had ever seen. It brought tears to her eyes, it made her heart jump, and she confusedly smiled at her love. “ Nothing wrong, I mean! I just...” Shaya paused, snorting, a new wave of tears rushing from her dazzling eyes all over her face. “ I've never been this happy.” she whispered, staring at her with wonder and love.   
Regina smiled and welcomed her kisses and caresses, feeling Shaya's happiness feed her own in her chest, her tears call hers, her smile curve her own lips.   
“ Me neither. “ she said in a whisper, her heart aching at the pain that immediately darkened the warrior's eyes. But then Shaya smiled, her eyes lighted up, and she caught the tear before it could slide another inch down the blonde's cheek.   
“ Now let me show you how much I'm happy.” the brunette purred starting to unbutton the shirt, making the warrior softly laugh. Shaya stopped her by leaning a hand over hers. Regina gazed at her in surprise.  
“ I wish, but I'm afraid that we'll be soon in three here inside.”  
Regina frowned. “ What do you mean?” she asked just a second before that someone knocked at the door. Regina goggled. “ How the hell did you know it?!”   
Shaya gave her a tired smirk and raised her brows. “ Pure assumption. It was logical for Emma to come back here after our little talk with Red. “  
“ Regina, open this fucking door or so help me!” Emma's muffled voice hit Regina's ears. She was still staring astonishingly at Shaya.   
“ Angry. “ the warrior added slightly tilting her head to her right.   
Regina sighed and shook her head. “ You already know her better than I do, isn't it?”  
Shaya grinned. “ Maybe.”  
“ Regina I don't care what you're doing, I'm braking this fucking door down in three...”  
“ Better if we move.” Shaya suggested, helping her to stand up. Regina calmly began to straighten her nightgown. If Emma wanted to ruin their moment for a useless talk, she had to do it at her rules.   
“ ... two...”   
“ Honey, wouldn't it be better if you...”  
“ Shush. I'm almost done. “ she murmured running her fingers through her hair to tidy them.   
“ ... one...”  
Regina suddenly opened the door. “ Miss Swan.” she glowered at her.  
Emma lowered her leg, slightly blushing, yet firmly staring at her. Regina cocked an eyebrow. “ You'd better have a proper reason to disturb us.”   
“ I'd better...? Seriously?! You just said that someone wants to use me to rule the world, isn't it a goddamn good reason to come here? And open your fucking mind! I tried to contact you all along!”   
“ Emma, the one who probably wanted to use you to rule the Enchanted Forest is dead. There is not an immediate danger. You'd think I'd be here instead that running to my... our son if it wasn't so? Do you really think that I'd trust Snow White to keep him safe?”  
“ No but...”  
“ Emma...” Regina sighed “ If the only thing I did was to inform you about the potential of your power, do you really think that there's something else to worry about?”   
The Savior was open-mouthed, trying to say something, but she clearly wouldn't. The brunette pursued her lips, annoyed. “ Gold is casting a protective spell. We'll be safe, and so we'll have the time to decide what to do. Until then, enjoy the pirate's smug and, Emma, please, do the same as me: close your damn mind.” she went closer to the woman, giving her a bleak stare. “ I have my reasons to detest Hook. “ she said in an angry murmur “ I don't enjoy staring at him with dreamy eyes.”   
The Savior blushed violently and swallowed, stepping back. She looked about to object, but then she changed her mind. “ S-sorry.” she said glancing down. “ Didn't though about... that.”  
Regina clenched her jaw. “ Of course.” she spat.   
Emma glanced at her. “ Hey, really. I'm sorry. I... Just... “ Her cheeks reddened again. Regina squeezed her eyes.   
“ You forgot it.”   
Emma looked about to run away. An angry smirk tensed Regina's lips. Of course she did. A couple of googly eyes and ruffled hair were enough to make her lose her mind.   
“ No, Regina, I never... But he helped us! He gave us his ship! He fought for us!”  
“ He fought for you, Emma. He wants you. He wouldn't hesitate a moment to stab me in my back if it was to save his life...”  
“ Wouldn't you do the same?”   
“ Of course I would! But I'm not the one pretending to be his friend just to look nice and get to sleep with you! “  
The Savior raised her brows. “ Oh, you're talking about honesty, now?”   
“ Yes! Yes, I am, because I know what manipulation is, Emma, and he's using it making you believe that he's a good man when he's just a selfish beguiler! “  
“ Not more than you are!” Emma shouted.   
Regina couldn't help feeling the betrayal. She swallowed it back, slightly nodding. Here we go again, she thought. I'm the evil one. The most evil of them all. The disappoint burdened her voice. “ Good. Run to your white knight, then. He'll surely protect you from whatever could damage his knew doll. I'm sure that your mother will be more than happy to know that I won't corrupt you anymore. Goodbye, Miss Swan. “ she harshly said, going in and slamming the door in her face. 

Shaya was staring at the brunette with her arms folded. The sweet juice still lingered on her tongue when she passed it under her lower lips, biting it then. She had never meant to do it that way, but she couldn't help it. How many years had she waited before she could finally taste that flavor? She didn't even remember it. She didn't care. All that mattered now were those solid shoulders, wrapped in dark silk, the hair that slightly touched them. Oh, how she could live just staring at her! Her posture was so singular, a beautiful mix between strength and weakness, always aggressive, always defensive. She was tiny, but she looked imposing. She was wearing nothing else than a nightgown, and she seemed to wear the most precious of her dresses. How was it possible? How could she be so beautiful to make her soul ache? She would stand there staring, unnoticed, the whole day, the whole life, just to catch one more glimpse of her before that she'd turn and smile at her, making her stupid, unable to think, unable to see anything else but that smile. She always forgot everything when she did. It was beautiful and terrible at the same time. Now, in that moment, while she wasn't looking at her, she could tell her those things, make her understand what she was feeling exactly, what she had always felt and saw, so that she could see it too, and stop wondering how could someone love her because there wasn't one single thing that Shaya didn't love of her, and so Regina would knew that she loved her only because she was beautiful, inside, outside, in what she did, in how she did it. She loved the way she arched her left eyebrow, the way she could kill a man with a devilish smile on her face, the way she walked, determined and regal, and the way she could use her intelligence to manipulate someone else's. She adored the way she ate, still pretending to be a mannered, perfect Queen, but always taking too large bites and then trying to dissimulate it. She had never really learned to pretend to not care about food. She loved to eat, and Shaya loved how it had shaped her body in smooth curves despite the strong muscles that made her legs look longer than hers. She loved how she had stayed strong despite the abuses she endured from the most powerful witch at the time, and how she had never stopped hoping for the help of the weakest man she knew. She loved how Regina had blamed Snow White for Daniel's death not to blame her mother, whom she loved so much to forgive her everything, even that murder. And she loved how she had spent her life seeking revenge, giving up everything for it, for such bravery, devotion and perseverance, for how despicable her actions had been, deserved all of her respect. And she loved how she had trusted her the first time they had met, and the way she had faced her first, throwing that fireball against her. And how surprised she was to see that someone dared to defend from her attack. And how angry she got for it. That killing look she gave her, Shaya had loved it. Her ability to ignore her own moral, her ability to love more deeply than anybody else, but her, maybe, or maybe not. Shaya had never felt at her height. She had always looked at her from below, watching the light create shadows on her face, but her eyes, the darkest one she had ever seen, those were always bright. Anger, pain, hate, hope. No matter why, they always shined, and even with a million people between them she could see it. And, lately, they shined for love. For her. It was unbearable. Stare at her, help her without her to know it. Maybe smile at her, one day. Make her smile even just one, single time, and die at that light. But just after she's safe, this was her plan. Save her. Do the only thing she could do: make her happy. But this way... she never planned it. And, that day, when she had seen her on that tender, still young and strong, slowly sailing towards her, she had thought that fate wanted to give her a second chance to save her. And the thought that she wasn't safe yet... It had killed her. She was still suffering, she had seen it in her eyes, from between the leaves of the jungle. She had had a crisis, she had crunched in the middle of the jungle, a fist in her mouth not to cry, tears flowing, pain torturing her. She had failed, and Regina had passed all of that time suffering. It was unbearable. But she had had a second chance, and it was the only thing that made her stand up and clean her face with magic, only to step out of the forest a second later, sneering as if nothing could touch her.  
Shaya blinked, focusing the brunette's back again. She knew the truth. She would never tell her those things. She forgot them every time that she locked gaze with her. Anything mattered when she lost herself in those dark, kind eyes. There was only the present, that moment, the happiness in them.  
But when Regina turned, Shaya painfully saw only rage in her eyes. The brunette gave her a glance before trying to pass over her to go upstairs. Shaya reached for her hand.  
“ Hey...”   
Regina hesitated, looking down at their hands. Her silence made the warrior go on. She didn't let go her hand.   
“ Give her time, she's stubborn. She'll get it, and ask for your pardon. “   
The former Queen glared at her, although her rage was mitigated by some kind of sadness.   
“ No. It won't happen. She sees me as the Evil Queen like anybody else. I'll never be Regina for them. “   
Shaya's clenched her jaw. She was still suffering. She wasn't able to protect her from them. Unless... “ She's just afraid of the truth. She likes him, she doesn't want to lose him. She's just lost Neal, if I got it right? And when people get afraid, they hurt other people. That's why she said those things. I don't know if Hook only wants to have sex with her, but it's possible, and she knows it. “ she paused, looking in her eyes. She listened to her, she was believing her words. But there was still sadness inside her eyes. Shaya sighed and folded her in her arms. Regina stayed still at first, but then seemed to wish to melt with her. “ Trust me, my love, it's impossible not to see your nature. When they'll stop looking back while trying to uselessly run from you, they'll see you, at their side, waiting for them to notice your hand behind their back. You were just trying to help Emma, she'll realize it when she'll remember your talk. Give them time. They're afraid and they don't know it. If they keep looking back, sooner or later they'll stumble. “  
“ Like Snow White?” Regina whispered against her shoulder. Shaya smirked and nodded.  
“ I would say that she hit a tree, actually. “  
Shaya felt her smile move her shirt, and her snort made her chuckle.   
“ Emma knows she can trust you, Regina. Don't give importance to her words, they can be deceiving, remember her stare. The way she defended you from her own mother, this morning. How cheeky she was then. I believe she saw you for who you really are long ago, my love. She's just afraid now.”   
Regina distanced a bit from her to be able to lock gaze with her. The sadness was gone. Shaya couldn't describe the immense sense of relief that she felt at the sight of those dark, grateful eyes.  
“ How can you always make me feel better?” the brunette asked in a murmur, smiling with wonder.   
Shaya smiled back at her. How couldn't she do it? “ I always insult Snow White.” she sneered.  
“ How clever of you.” Regina laughed and kissed her, making her heart stop.   
Shaya managed to break the kiss, somehow. “ Oh, and... When you want to tell me why you hate Hook, I'm here.” she said gazing at her.   
Regina swallowed and a hint of worry furrowed her brows. Seeing her hesitate, Shaya leaned her forefinger over Regina's lips and gave her a reassuring smile.   
“ If you want to.” she added, letting Regina's lips distract her, then. She slowly rubbed the upper one with her finger, feeling the scar run deep under her skin. She moved her hand and replaced the index with the thumb, caressing the lower lip with it. Regina kissed it, making her look at her. Shaya drowned in her glassy eyes.  
“ I love you.” Regina murmured with trembling voice. She kissed her again, sealing Shaya's lips before that a word could exit from them. Her fingers tickled her nape. The warrior gave a glance at the clock, hating it.  
“ Shouldn't you go to teach Belle how to be a Mayor?” she forced herself to ask, gazing then at those gorgeous eyes that narrowed at her words.  
“ Already tired of me?” Regina asked. Shaya arched an eyebrow.  
“ Never said I won't come with you. If you like. “  
Regina smirked. “ Of course I do.”


	30. The King is dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I'm a horrible person, sorry for the tremendous delay. But there are only three chapters left, hold on ;*

Belle dropped the heavy folder on the table. Someone had put everything in order in the office, and she had a clue of who it might be.  
“ Regina, Regina, I'll never thank you enough for this...” she murmured with a sigh and a smile, recognizing the elegant handwriting over the grey folder.  
“ I should think so! I've spent an entire morning organizing the chaos you've made, Miss French!”  
The sudden voice startled the Mayor, who gazed up at its source. Regina was standing a step over the door, hands on her hips and a lifted eyebrow. Rapunzel was right behind her, slightly smiling, all eyes on the former Queen.  
“ R-Regina! What are you doing here?”  
The woman marched in resolutely. “ What am I doing here? “ she demanded, her voice not much different from a growl, her eyes darting annoyance. “ Seen the embarrassing results of your last day of work in my office, I thought you might need my help to run this city, thing that I've successfully done for twenty-nine years, Miss French. That's what I'm doing here. “  
Belle lifted an eyebrow. Regina wanted to help her? Really? “ I-I got it, really. There's no need...”  
“ I must disagree. The last time I checked, the financial reports were mixed up with the maps of the drainage system. “  
Belle felt her cheeks flush. “ That's just because I was checking if there was a tunnel from which someone could enter Storybrooke without us to know it. You know, you and Rumple weren't here, and, despite the protective spell... I was worried.”  
Regina's left eyebrow jumped up again. “ And you were checking it while checking the financials?”  
Belle swallowed and nodded once. “ Indeed, because I needed to know if you had made some restructures somewhere like...”  
“ A tunnel.”  
“ Yes.”  
Regina stared at her for a while before finally nodding once and giving her a slight smirk, and a little more of personal space.  
“ I see. Quite clever, Miss French. I'm impressed. Really. “ Belle didn't have the time to smile at the compliment. “ But still... Did you really think that I wanted to run away using a tunnel?” Regina mockingly questioned, almost sneering. “ I must have given you a wrong idea of me, if you did.”  
Belle felt like if the air was sucked out of her lungs. Did she think it? Oh, yes that she did. It was a possibility, seen that everyone hated her but Henry and Emma, maybe. It was quite logical for someone to run away from such a situation, and it was probable that, seen that she had casted the curse, Regina could get out of Storybrooke without consequences. And even if she had lost her memory, it would probably have been a blessing for her, at that point. Any "evil" character from a book of hers would have done it, at least. But it was quite evident that Regina Mills wasn't that kind of "villain".  
“ Well, I must admit that I thought it. “ she said, facing the former Queen. She felt stupid now. She should have known it. But the truth was that she didn't really know Regina. She knew what Rumple had told her, what Snow and Ruby had told her, and she knew what she had done to her. But she didn't know that woman. And she had to admit that she was quite curious.  
Regina snorted. “ So, what? I'd kidnap Henry and run away with him? “  
Henry, yes. Her first thought, always. First of all, Regina Mills was a mother. Good thing for rehabilitation. Belle glanced at Rapunzel. She didn't know her, either. Nothing she couldn't remediate, though.  
“ Maybe. I don't know, Regina, I just thought that there could be a tunnel that led out of Storybrooke. You know, castles are full of them, to run away in case of siege, so, if I were you, I would have put one somewhere. But I couldn't find none, so...”  
“ So as you know it, Miss French, I wouldn't run away from my town. “ Regina spat, glowering at her.  
“ You wouldn't run from any town, love.” Rapunzel murmured behind her, smoothing the rage in the dark eyes. That glare didn't scare Belle, but it wasn't exactly easy to bear it. Regina was powerful and angry and damn instinctive.  
The brunette, fortunately, smirked.  
Belle took advantage of it. “ Oh I wasn't calling you a coward, Regina! I was just worried, I told you. I'm sorry if it offended you, it was never my intention. “  
The former Queen's eyes carved inside her for a few moments before that she nonchalantly waved her hand in the air.  
“ Never mind, dear. I'm not offended, I'm amused. I find quite funny that Rumplestiltskin's girlfriend was elected Mayor during my brief absence.”  
Oh, that was the problem. She was with Rumple, so her election was a sham.  
“ The town voted for me, I didn't even want to become Mayor! I tried to refuse, but they wanted only me!”  
Regina narrowed her eyes. “ I find hard to believe that George didn't run for it.”  
“ He did! But none wanted him, and Leroy threatened to kick him out of Storybrooke, so he gave up. Regina, if you want a new election, I can...”  
“ I know exactly what you can and what you can't do, Miss French. “ Regina interrupted her, a sullen look on her face. She made a pause, inhaling deeply and lifting her chin, as if to take time to calm down. “ Although I don't think you're the most qualified for this office, I don't want it back, either. Let alone that I wouldn't have it back anyway.”  
Belle stared at the woman. She didn't want to be mayor anymore? The former librarian involuntarily glanced at the warrior behind the brunette. What had she done to her?  
“ You could try...” she murmured, unable to take her eyes off of Rapunzel. She was staring at her in turn with a worrying gaze. Belle was walking on a thin rope and she knew it.  
Regina, indeed, glared at her. “ Try? Try to be humiliated gaining one vote or two? Archie would get more! No, thank you. Why should I do it, then? Work for the ones who hate me, try to make them live better? Again, no. I've finally got a family. I'm not wasting my time for power. I've never wished for it.” The last sentence was a mere whisper, barely audible. But Regina was just a step away, too close for Belle not to hear it. So, there was the "Evil" Queen. A girl forced to marry a King. Belle gave a smirk. Just like the Dark One, Regina wasn't a monster, a beast. She was just a person in pain. It just needed the bravery and patience to find that person under the thick skin.  
Rapunzel stepped forward and leaned a hand over Regina's back. Her cold stare was on Belle. She looked really pissed off. Belle swallowed.  
“ Do you want her help or not?” she asked roughly, and she was evidently keeping herself from being rougher.  
“ Of course!” Belle quickly answered. She didn't know why Rapunzel was so nervous, but it wasn't a good thing, seen what she had read about her. Rumple was sure that she would never hurt her, but Belle was quite convinced that she would even face his rage if it was for Regina. There was no need to upset them, by the way. She had nothing against them at that point. Rapunzel was Rumple's only friend, and Regina... well, she had forgiven her. “ I might use some help, actually. I mean, I know nothing about how to run a town. I've read something about it, but... some experience could help!”  
Shaya visibly forced herself to smile. It didn't seem that she was angry with her, but she looked damn angry. “ Wise girl.” she commented, sending a shiver though Belle's spine.  
Regina turned to look at the warrior with a confused glance. It seemed that she didn't know what was wrong either.  
“ It's all right, dear?” she asked in a thoughtful murmur.  
Rapunzel's face relaxed a little while she nodded once. “ Aye. I just have to do a thing. If you don't mind, I'll be back soon.” she calmly said, chilling Belle. She looked about to kill someone, really.  
Regina stared at her for a while before agreeing with a nod. “ Okay, but... which thing?”  
Rapunzel reassuringly smiled. It was incredible how much her face could change in a moment. “ I just need to talk with your favorite person.” she archly said. Regina's eyebrows furrowed.  
“ My f... “ on her face an amused smile exploded “ Snow White?”  
Rapunzel's only answer was a brief laugh.  
Regina's followed. “ Okay. Don't kill her, please, or Henry...”  
“ You don't trust me yet?”  
Regina sneered. “ You said it yourself, dear: never trust a mercenary.”  
Rapunzel goggled. “ Oh, were you listening?” she asked, narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth as if Regina had caught her stealing biscuits. Or her apple cider, more likely.  
The former Queen smiled. “ Of course.”  
The warrior smiled back at her. “ Good. See you later.” she said before quickly leaving.  
Regina turned to look at Belle. She looked so serious now that Belle could even have only imagined her witty chat with Rapunzel.  
“ So, Miss French...” she said with a formal tone “ ...why don't we start from the basics?” Regina approached the large bookcase and took a huge book from it, dropping it then on the desk with a loud thump. “ Laws.”

“ And here's Honolulu.” Mary Margaret said, pointing the city on the paper map on the wall.  
A boy raised a hand.  
“ Yes, Arthur?”  
“ Why do we have to learn these things, Miss Blanchard? I mean, we're not home, this isn't our world. Why don't you tell us about the Enchanted Forest's kingdoms instead of the Hawaii?”  
The teacher furrowed her brow. The boy wasn't exactly wrong. “ Wouldn't you like to go to Hawaii?”  
Arthur pouted. “ Who cares? I can't. None of us can. We're stuck here forever.”  
“ It isn't so, sweetie. For now we can't leave Storybrooke, it's true, but soon we'll find a way to go home. This I promise.”  
The boy lifted an eyebrow and folded his arms. “ So we won't go to Hawaii anyway.”  
The children laughed hiding behind their hands. Well, he had a point. Snow was about to answer to him when Henry intervened.  
“ Maybe we could! We could travel anywhere! Like Jefferson! He could borrow us his hat and we could go to Disneyland!”  
“ He would never. And your mom wouldn't allow it.”  
“ Which mom?”  
“ The scary one.”  
“ She's not scary!”  
“ She is! It's her fault if we're stuck here!”  
Henry's face fell. “ I-It's not her fault!”  
“ Yes, instead! She's the Evil Queen! She wants to kill us!”  
“ She's not...”  
“ Arthur! Henry! Stop it!” Mary Margaret shouted, slamming a hand on the desk.  
The silence fell on the class while huge pairs of eyes astonishingly stared at her. She had never shouted at them before. Never.  
“ B-but...”  
“ What, Henry? He began? Does it mean that you have to reply? To make things worst? To...”  
The bell rang, covering the successive words. The children stayed still, staring at her. Mary Margaret felt the silence in the classroom like a heavy stone over her head.  
She glanced down and waved a hand in the air, blushing. The children slowly scraped the chairs against the floor and walked outside the classroom. Mary Margaret closed the class register.  
“ Shaya? What are you doing here? Is mom okay?”  
The teacher suddenly turned at Henry's unexpected voice. He was gazing up at the tall woman, who was smiling at him.  
“ Aye, don't worry, young Prince. I'm here to talk with your grandmother.” she said giving her a glance. “ Go play with your friends.” she added ruffling his hair. Henry's shoulders drooped.  
“ Not sure I have any.” he muttered. A worried expression crossed Shaya's face. She squatted down on her haunches, so Henry locked gaze with her.  
“ That boy...”  
“ Arthur?”  
“ Indeed. Give him time, be kind with him, show him the truth and, maybe, one day, he'll get it.”  
“ One day?”  
“ Aye. It could be worth it.”  
“ What if it isn't?”  
Rapunzel smirked and shrugged. “ If you think so, then don't waste your time! Just tell him that the Golden Death will look for him if he names again your mom.”  
Henry gave a laugh when the warrior poked him on his shoulder. “ This isn't what heroes do. Right?”  
Snow saw a wave of pride fill the warrior's eyes. “ Right. Choose then, Prince Henry: do you want to be a hero and save the prisoner, future king, or be the villain and let the dragon scare him?”  
“ Prisoner?”  
“ Prisoner of the skin-deep judgement. It's just a metaphor. Did your teacher teach you what a metaphor is?” Rapunzel asked glancing again at her, but with a smirk this time. Henry did, too, then nodded.  
“ Yes. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally denote in order to imply a resemblance, for example: "he is a lion in battle".” he recited, making Mary Margaret widely smile, delighted.  
“ Very good, Henry!” she exclaimed, and the boy turned to smile at her.  
“ Thank you!” he proudly said.  
“ So, you see, I'm not a dragon, either.” Rapunzel plowed on, slightly smiling. She then suddenly furrowed her brow. “ Or is my skin so dry?”  
Henry gave a laugh. “ Nope.”  
“ Better!”  
The warrior stood up. “ Alright Henry, now go to play!” she said smiling. Henry bumped his fist with hers and ran out of the classroom.  
Rapunzel watched him run for a while, then gazed at her.  
“ Are you here to kill me?” Snow asked, not exactly joking. It was always a possibility.  
Rapunzel smile was cold. “ No. I'm here to warn you, though. “  
Here we go again, Snow though with a sigh. “ Regina wants my heart on a silver plate again?”  
Shaya's eyes, fixed in hers, were like hot rods piercing and burning her soul. “ No. I want it.”  
Snow swallowed as her heart lost a beat. She pinched her lips, then licked them. “ Y-you...?”  
Being threatened by Regina had never scared her. But Rapunzel... Snow had the impression that she could kill her even just looking at her. What she was capable of...  
“ Aye, me. I'm tired of seeing you fight. She finally stops, and you begin? No. I won't permit it. I won't let her fall again. But, don't worry, child, you have another chance. The last one, I'm afraid.” The warrior smiled again, and Mary Margaret instinctively stepped back, leaning a hand on the desk. “ Just another tear of pain shed by Regina because of you, Snow White, and you're dead. Is it clear? “  
Mary Margaret looked into the pools of quiet anger that were Rapunzel's eyes. She wasn't lying. Emma, David, Henry... none of them would stop her. And if she had to hope in Regina's help, well...  
The teacher nodded once, shaking. “ Yes.”  
“ Good.” Rapunzel growled in a murmur, her eyes flashing with rage. Snow glanced down.  
“ But, Rapunzel, let me just tell you ...” When she gazed up again, she was alone in the classroom. “ ... I'm sorry.” she murmured at the empty hallway behind the door.

Emma opened her phone once again, then closed it. She didn't know how many times she had been about to call Regina. The Savior dried the tears on her face. Damn, if only she hadn't felt the woman's emotions... She had hurt her more that she wished to admit.  
Emma took another stone from the shore and threw it into the sea, glancing then at the phone.  
Regina was wrong, Killian didn't want to just have sex with her. Maybe he wasn't her True Love, but he felt something for her. They were friends now, and the way he looked at her... No, it wouldn't be just a one night stand. They could have a relationship. But still. Regina maybe hated him, but that wasn't the reason of their fight. She wanted to protect her, Emma had felt it. And when she had told her what she thought... Emma could have even stabbed Regina in her back, it would have been the same. A stab was exactly what the brunette had felt, actually. It had been so intense that Regina had lost her control, for a moment, and let her feel it. Emma had betrayed her. She had deluded her. She had treated her like the Evil Queen, and not like the woman she knew. Just like her mother.  
For this she couldn't find the courage to call her and say sorry. She was afraid. What they had built, after all of that time, after all those problems, was beautiful. They were a family, despite the past, despite their differences, thanks to their differences. Henry was happy. Regina was happy. Emma, well... she needed some more time. But, maybe, she could be finally happy, too. It was a beginning, anyway. And she had just ruined it. She messed it up. As always. Was Killian actually worth losing all of this? No. No man was it. Henry, his happiness, came before anything else.  
Emma grabbed another stone and hurled it.  
She had to do something to save the situation. Talking with Regina now would have been a mistake. She was probably still angry, better wait a couple of hours.  
The Savior put the cellphone in the pocket of the red leather jacket.  
First of all, she needed to know exactly what Killian was up to. It was time to talk turkey with him.  
Second, she had to face her mother. It was not like she wished to do it, but delaying would have been worst. The sooner she did it, the sooner she would make things clear.  
Third, she had to go to the Sheriff's office and talk with her father. That would be nice. She needed to know his opinion about her intentions with Hook and Regina. And she really wanted to spend some time with him.  
Fourth, she really needed to eat something. Well, maybe this could become the first point, she thought, already walking towards Granny's with a smirk on her face.  
She was about to cross the road to reach the diner when a man called her out.  
The Savior turned to greet the shrink.  
“ Hey, Archie! How are you? Haven't seen you since the battle...”  
Oh, and what a surprise had he been! The shy shrink was a real ninja. It was almost weird now to see he walk towards her with Pongo, with that big smile on his face.  
“ Oh I'm fine, thank you. What about you? Is Regina okay? I'd like to talk to her but... And Henry? Is he fine?”  
“ Yes, yes, he's okay. And Regina, yes, she's fine, too. “  
There was a moment of silence in which the two locked gaze, and understood what the other was thinking. Here we go, Emma thought with a sigh.  
“ And you? You didn't answer that one.”  
Emma pinched her lips, trying to smile, and glanced down, putting her hands in the jacket's pockets. “ Oh I... I'm gonna be okay, I guess.” she wondered if her eyes were still red for the crying. “ Just, you know, need some time to think. So many things happened and... You know. “  
The man sympathetically smiled at her. “ Of course. But, Emma, whenever you need to talk, I'm here. My PhD might come from a curse, but I'm always Jiminy Cricket. I'm a good listener.”  
The Savior gave a slight snort. “ Thank you.” she said smiling at him.  
Pongo barked, and Archie nodded at him.  
“ He was pretty clear: we have to go!”  
Emma laughed. “ I think we bored him. Did we, Pongo?” she asked at the dog, crouching to look at him. Pongo wagged his tail and barked again, approaching her then. Emma started cuddling him.  
“ Who's the smarter dog of Storybrooke? Uh? Who is it? Pongo? Pongo! Oh, yes, it's him! Of course it's him!”  
The Dalmatian tried to lick her face and Emma, to avoid him, overbalanced backwards and fell on her ass, laughing.  
Archie pulled the leash. “ Pongo! I'm so sorry, Emma! Are you okay?”  
“ Hey, sister, troubles with the dog?”  
Emma turned. Leroy was behind her with a large grin between his beard. He offered her his hand, and Emma accepted the help. She stood up and tidied up her pants.  
“ He was just running a bit. He already wanted to kiss me. We're not even at the first date!”  
The dwarf's loud and clunky laughter filled the air. Archie awkwardly adjusted the glasses on his nose, grinning.  
“ Good job, brother!” he exclaimed towards the dog, that cocked his head to one side, raising his ears.  
Emma shook her head. “ Don't listen to him, Pongo. “  
“ Don't listen to him, Pongo!” Leroy repeated mockingly, grimacing. Emma bursted out into laughter, realizing only in that moment how much she needed it.  
“ No way that is my voice!” she exclaimed then.  
“ No? Try to record it and you'll see, sister.”  
Emma shook her forefinger in the air. “ No no no, not even after a concert and with a hangover at five a.m. my voice sounds like that! Trust me, I know it.”  
The two men laughed, making her smile.  
“ Our Savior is kind of a bad girl, Jiminy!”  
“ Oh, well, the Evil Queen is one of the most precise person I've ever known, so it seems quite right that...”  
“ Stop calling her that way! “ Emma suddenly barked, startling them. She had to take a deep breath to ease the burning rage that was filling her. “ She... Her name's Regina.” she added, glowering at them. She didn't wait for their answers.  
She crossed the empty road and flung the diner's door open.  
Granny furrowed her brow at her entrance.  
“ Emma...?”  
“ Food.”  
“ What?”  
“ Gimme something to eat.”  
The old woman raised an eyebrow. “ You might need a chamomile tea.”  
“ No, I need a toast... two toasts and a donut. “  
Granny's face contorted in disgust. “ Yes, and an antiemetic, then.”  
“ No, and a coffee. Quick.” Emma growled in response, glaring at her.  
The woman pursued her lips. “ What happened to you? Have you suddenly became the same with your title of Princess?”  
Emma suddenly blushed, embarrassed. “ I-I'm sorry. Never meant to... I'm just nervous. Sorry. Could you please give me two toasts, a donut full of chocolate and a coffee?”  
Granny gave a satisfied smirk and nodded once. “ Better. Take away?”  
Emma smirked. “ Yep.” she said. She was angry, but not that angry. One toast was for her, the rest was for her father. She was quite sure that he needed chocolate, but, in case he had already eaten it, she would bring him the toast, too. And the coffee was always good.  
She payed, thanked Granny and went back to the harbor's parking, where the yellow bug was waiting for her.  
The old car welcomed her, inviting her to throw the bag with the food on its seat and to ransack inside the bag in search of her toast while she started the engine. She kept the toast between her teeth while she got out of the parking, then finally started eating it, driving towards the office.  
She was about to arrive when the Sheriff's car speeded to the opposite direction with the siren testing her eardrums. She astonishingly watched her father pass a red light on the rearview mirror.  
“ Shit!” she whispered, slamming on the brakes only to turn the wheel and shoot the car forward, following the Sheriff's. No way she could reach David's speed, but something told her where to go. She turned right, and jammed the break. In the secondary street there was a knot of people next to David's car, left across the road.  
Emma dropped her toast and got out of the car.  
“ Da..avid?” She managed not to call him "dad" in front of half of Storybrooke.  
Some people let her pass, distancing from her, actually. Emma frowned. What was happening? David ran to her before she could pass the last two men.  
“ Emma! Stay behind! Don't... Come with me. You don't have to see this.” he said frantically, pushing her back towards her car. He looked shocked, he was pale and sweating. As Emma put up resistance, he stopped pushing her, but finally locked gaze with her.  
“ W-what happened?” she asked, frightened. “ Why are all these people here?”  
“ They shouldn't, indeed...” he thoughtfully murmured, gazing up at the crowd then. “ Go home!” he shouted “ There's nothing to see! “  
“ Someone killed our king, there's much to see!” someone yelled.  
Emma goggled at David. “ Killed? Who...” Wait... King... “ George?”  
David frowned and glanced down, nodding. “ Yes. He was...”  
“ He was beheaded. And we all know who was his enemy.”  
“ Yes! The Evil Queen fought with him, and her watchdog killed him. She threaten him, I've heard her. One sword blow and his head falls off.”  
“ So the Prince takes the throne, uh?”  
“ Ah, how easy! The Princess was there with the bitch, she supported her! Savior?” the man spit on the ground. “ No savior would allow that bitch to live.”  
“ Hey! Stop it, all of you! “ David shouted, putting himself between Emma and the crowd.  
“ Or what, Your Highness?” the man mockingly grinned “ You'll arrest me?”  
David gritted his teeth. “ Yes.”  
“ And you'll arrest me, too?”  
“ And me?”  
“ And me?”  
Too many. They were just two, with two free cells, and those morons were about thirty. Thirty men and women who sided George, who thought that they had conspired and killed their king to take his throne. Emma wasn't an expert, but she had an idea of what could happen to a couple of royals between an enraged crowd.  
But what could she do? She couldn't stop them, she knew it. They wouldn't listen. Her mother, well... If they wanted to kill their king's son, imagine what they could do to his wife. Think fast Swan, think fast. There was only a person who could help her. She could only hope that there wouldn't be a massacre.  
She thought it. She just thought it. A moment after, a purple fog whirled next to her, startling the crowd.  
“ The Evil Queen is here!”  
“ Run!”  
“ No! Stay, cowards!” cried out the man who had called Regina "bitch", sneering crazily. Emma had the feeling that she had already seen him somewhere, but she couldn't remember where. “ She's weak, here. She can't kill us all.”  
“ Well, well...” Regina coldly smiled at him, putting herself before Emma, next to David, who was staring at her, astonished. He glanced at Emma, who shrugged, smirking. The Prince slightly shook his head, hiding a smile, paying attention back to the crowd. “ A brave peasant. How frightening!” the Queen throatily laughed, sending a shiver though Emma's spine. She understood the ones who stepped back. And she understood that she had never really seen the Evil Queen in Storybrooke. Not until that moment.  
“ You can't scare us, bitch.” he said spitting again on the ground. “ No more.”  
Emma glanced at Regina. She was smiling. Bad sign.  
“ Scare?” the brunette gave a brief, deep laugh. “ Why should I scare you when I can kill you?”  
Her eyes became cold, colder than Emma thought they could be. She raised a hand and was about to turn it mid-air when Emma had a clear vision of what would happen next: Regina would have killed the dickhead, the others would have gone crazy and attacked them all together. And they couldn't defeat them all. They would die because someone had killed George, making the guilt fall on them, a perfect plan to take control over the people. It was a conjure. But it was not going to work.  
Emma reached for Regina's hand, closing it under her fingers. The Queen astoundingly stared at her.  
“ Emma what...?”  
“ Nobody else has to die today.” the Savior declared loudly, gazing at the ten men before her. “ Someone has already horribly killed a man, someone who wished to set us up for this murder. Because this person wants power. This bastard wants to rule over you, wants to be the only one to do it. You know what? I'm not going to allow it.” Emma made a pause. They were listening to her, and she was, too. It was like she wasn't the one speaking, it was like if the words had taken life and used her to be told. She only knew that that was the right thing to do. So she inhaled deeply and plowed on. “ I'm the Savior. I'm... a princess. You were George's men? What? His... personal guards?” she hazarded, and smirked at their confused nods. “ Good. Well, you're very loyal men. I admire you, really. You're the kind of men I'd want to protect me. “ The guards looked at each other, frowning, shrugging. She was confusing them. Good. “ I didn't kill your... our king. Nor Regina did, nor my father. Our new king. “  
Emma paused and gazed at him. He looked lost, but amazed. He was proud of her. The Savior looked back at the little crowd, that was getting larger. New people were coming to listen to her, some were talking at their phones, other cars were stopping and further citizens got out of them, staring at her. Crap, she thought. She didn't like to be the centre of attention.  
“ I'm a princess.” she repeated, more to herself than to the crowd. “ But, before than a princess, I'm a mother. I'm not like you, I don't really know what living in F... in the Enchanted Forest might be. But, seen what happened lately, I guess I'll soon know. We can't stay here. You all can't get out of Storybrooke, it's like a prison, right?”  
Many agreed, glaring at Regina, but glancing down then. Fortunately, they still feared her. Emma secretly sighed and went on.  
“ Yeah. And when we go back to the Enchanted Forest, what is that you want? More wars? Be soldiers again? Fight one against the other again?”  
“ No!”  
“ I'm a farmer, just want to live in peace with my family!”  
“ Me too!”  
“ I don't want to die for someone else's shit!”  
“ I just want my life back!”  
“ They won't force us to fight again!”  
Emma smiled at them, satisfied. She was glad that the monarchs had been so high-handed.  
“ I thought so.” she murmured. “ And I don't want my son to grow up in this kind of world. “  
She felt Regina and David's stares on her, but she kept looking at the people. There were about fifty people before her, by now. “ So, that's the thing: I want to propose an allegiance. “  
There were some whispers among the crowd, someone goggled, someone snorted.  
“ Regina, David.” she said now alternatively glancing at them. “ You rule over different kingdoms, but you're part of the same family. Here and now, as your daughter, David, and as mother of your son, Regina, I ask you to end up all of the hostilities, to stop fighting against your relatives, to stop this... folly. I belong to both kingdoms, and so Henry does. Let's unite the two realms. Let's build a new, better one. “  
Emma locked gaze with Regina. She looked a bit pissed off, but, after a glare at David, she sighed and nodded once.  
“ Of course. Our son deserves a better future.” she said, her eyes fixed on Emma's. The Savior smiled widely at the woman and turned to look at her father, who was already smirking. He nodded once in turn.  
“ May there be peace from now on.” he stated with the proud smile in his eyes. He stretched a hand over Emma, waiting for Regina to hold it. Emma watched them look at each other for some infinite, tensed moments, then Regina finally shook David's hand, and a big smile exploded on Emma's face.  
“ Who will rule now?” someone asked, and many supported him.  
“ Yes! We can't have two queens!”  
The Savior narrowed her eyes. “ Who says so?” she asked, sneering at Regina.  
The brunette glared at her and sighed, slightly shaking her head.  
“ We'll hold an election.” David stated, startling the two women.  
“ Have you completely lost your mind, Charming?” Regina whispered angrily “ They'll give power to the most charismatic of the peasants and sentence us all to death!”  
Emma pursued her lips. “ I'm afraid she's right, dad.”  
He smirked and winked at them. “ Don't worry, I got it.” he murmured before speaking again at the crowd. “ You'll vote your spokespersons and they'll be part of the council. We will take the decisions all together. There's no need for only one of us to be the ruler. We can do this together. But now, there's a homicide to solve. We'll find out who murdered King George and process them for their crime. Let us work. Please, go home. “  
“ This is a mistake. There can be a council, but there has to be a ruler. We won't ever come to a decision if we are too many.” Regina grumbled folding her arms, glowering at the moving crowd. They had obeyed to David, they were going away. Emma looked away as she caught a glimpse of the George's legs behind the Sheriff's car.  
“ Regina, we'll find a way. Maybe we could take decision by vote. “  
“ Oh, of course, you, Snow White, the Blue Fairy, Jiminy, the dwarves and the people against me. Very fair, Charming.”  
“ Regina...”  
“ Wait, why the Blue Fairy? Archie? And the... dwarves? I thought... They're part of the council?” Emma asked, confused.  
Regina pinched her lips and nodded. “ Indeed. You can now guess why their strategy was always a failure.”  
The Savior had to hide a smile from her father. “ Okay, I can get why Archie...”  
“ I don't.”  
Emma rolled her eyes, holding back a smile again. “ Regina! I was saying, Archie is okay, but the... Blue Fairy?”  
David furrowed his brow. “ Is the family's fairy godmother.”  
“ Oh. Does it makes her an appropriate counselor?”  
Her father shrugged. “ Well, she helped us...” his voice faded away: he had visibly lost in some kind of thought that were darkening his face. “ Or so we thought. “  
Regina stepped forward. “ What do you mean?”  
“ T-the box.” he explained, locking gaze with the brunette. “ Where Snow was supposed to go with Emma. She said that only one person could go there, but it wasn't true. Two people could, actually, but she let Geppetto secretly put Pinocchio, August in there, so, when Emma came to life...” he didn't finished the sentence, but stared at his daughter. Emma stared back at his light-blue eyes, full of regret, full of anger. “ If only she had said the truth...”  
Emma swallowed. If only she had said the truth, Henry probably wouldn't have born. “ What's done is done.” she said, glancing at Regina, knowing that she had heard her thought. The brunette slightly smiled at her.  
“ Yet she can't be trusted anymore. She won't be part of the council.” Regina said, not taking her eyes off of Emma's. The Savior nodded.  
“ I agree.” she said, and her father repeated her words.  
“ Good. Now, David, you should inform your wife about this new situation...”  
“ I'll do it!” Emma intervened, slightly blushing at their questioning stares. “ I had to talk to her anyway.”  
Both of them gave a nod. “ Okay. I'll think about the homicide. Join me when you're done with Mary Margaret.” David said, tensely smiling. “ Might need some help.”  
Emma guilty smirked at him. “ Ask Ruby in the meantime. Might take a bit.”  
The King nodded once. “ Okay. See you later.” he said before kissing her forehead, surprising her, and walking towards the body.  
“ Better if I go, now. Shaya could get worried.” Regina coldly said, making Emma turn to look at her. The brunette was already walking away, though.  
“ Regina!”  
The Queen stopped, but didn't turn. Emma's shoulders stooped. She was still mad at her.  
“ Thank you.” she just managed to say. She saw her slightly sigh, and turn a little her head. Then a familiar purple fog covered her figure, and her tiny smile disappeared with her.

Three soft knocks at the door startled the girl, sitting at the expensive desk, absorbed in a large book. Belle gazed up at him and suddenly stood up, smiling. His heart gave a jump.  
“ Rumple!” she exclaimed while walking around the desk to approach him “ What are you doing here?”  
The Dark One smirked at her and gave her a quick kiss before replying. “ I was around.” he said shrugging.  
Belle gave him a knowing smile. “ Yes, casually...”  
His brows furrowed. “ Nothing happens casually. What were you reading, dearie?”  
The Mayor glanced over her shoulder, at the book. “ Oh, boring, countless laws. But I have to. I'm the Mayor, the least I can do is learn my duties and powers.”  
“ Was it an idea of yours?”  
Belle pressed her lips in a tiny smile. “ Nope. Regina's, actually. She was here just a few minutes ago, then something happened and she disappeared. She told me to wait here, so...”  
Rumplestiltskin frowned. He knew exactly what had happened, but why Regina didn't bring Belle with her? It was hard to believe that it was to protect her.  
“ Mind if I wait for her with you?” he smiled at Belle, who wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer to her, staring at him.  
“ Oh, yes!” she said, pretending to be annoyed although her eyes were bright as if she was smiling. “ Of course I mind! I can barely stand you!”  
The Dark One stifled a laughter and kissed her. He paused only to tell her that he loved her, to hear her say the same to him. Her lips were so soft, her touch so gentle.  
Regina cleared her voice behind him, breaking their kiss. The Dark One turned to look at his creature. She looked quite disgusted.  
“ I'm sorry to interrupt you...” she said with flat voice, evidently lying and not caring to hide it. “ I thought that you were here to work, Miss French.”  
“ I-I am. We were just...”  
“ Making out. “ Regina concluded for her. “ Yes, I noticed.”  
“ It's none of your concern, dearie.” Rumple intervened, smirking at her. “ Thought that a regicide would keep you busy for a longer time...”  
Regina raised her eyebrows. “ Oh, that's why you killed him? To have the time to stay with your girlfriend in my office?” she pinched her lips, tilting her head to one side. “ That's quite pathetic, dear, let me tell you.”  
“ W-wait, Rumple, who was killed?”  
The Dark One glanced at his True Love. “ George.” he tightly said, glowering then at the other woman. “ And I didn't harm a hair of his head, dearie. “  
“ Indeed. You cut it off straight away.”  
“ I found the body and called David. Why should I I have done it if I had killed him?”  
Regina shrugged. “ Maybe to avoid any suspect. “  
“ Or maybe because I have nothing to do with this!” he objected gritting his teeth.  
Belle leaned a hand on his arm. “ Rumple... “  
He locked gaze with her. She was silently asking him to calm down, and he couldn't help but please her. The Dark One nodded once and glanced down, filling his lugs with air to gain back his self-control. When he talked again to Regina, his voice was low and controlled.  
“ Why do you think I would ever kill that man?”  
Looking in Regina's eyes was like staring at inextinguishable embers, ready to burn high at the slightest breath. “ Because who did it wanted the total control of mine and George's kingdoms. They wanted to set me and Emma up for this murder, and Charming and Snow White, consequently. George's men thought that David had planned everything, but they evidently gave his intelligence too much credit...”  
Rumplestiltskin cackled with laughter. Sometimes Regina could be more ingenuous that she would ever admit. “ So I would need to kill George to eliminate you and the Charmings and gain control?” he cracked up again “ Oh, dearie, poor girl! I already rule over all of you, don't you know? “  
His hand searched her cheek, but she repelled it with a slap, stepping back.  
“ Do it again and you'll have to borrow from the pirate his hook.” she growled, her eyes darting rage.  
Rumplestiltskin laughed again, making the air tinkle with danger. “ I'm sure he won't complain if I ask him gently.”  
“ So you didn't kill George.”  
“ Exactly.”  
“ And who did it?”  
The Dark One cocked an eyebrow. “ Why on earth should I know it?”  
Regina's face assumed a skeptic expression as she pursued her lips and arched an eyebrow. “ Because you always know who did what.”  
Rumple innerly smiled. She had a point. “ I'm flattered by the high opinion you have of my capacities, but I don't always know everything.”  
“ He's saying the truth, my love.”  
Rumplestiltskin gazed up, surprised: Rapunzel was standing on the door, her arms folded, looking at them.  
“ I can see it in his eyes, he doesn't know who killed the moron.”  
He gratefully smiled at the warrior. “ It's always a pleasure to meet you, dearie.”  
Shaya just slightly bowed her head at him, giving him a glance.  
“ Shaya, how do you know about George already? “ Regina asked, confused.  
“ I was going away from the school when I met Emma, who was running inside to talk with her mother. She told me what had happened.”  
Rumple watched Regina gaze down. Time passed with her thinking, and the vein on her forehead became visible as her eyes got darker and darker. He smiled at that look. He knew it.  
She suddenly headed out of the office.  
“ Regina, where are you going?” Belle asked, worryingly glancing at him.  
His creature stopped and turned to look at her. She was enraged, full of hate. She was his.  
“ Only an idiot would leave a body in the middle of the road in the middle of the day. Someone who has never killed anyone, not with his hands. Someone who lacks of organization, not because he didn't plan, because he panicked. And I have a clue of who this person might be. Shaya, follow me. “ she gloomily said, then gave him a last glare before turning and leaving, followed by the warrior.  
The Dark One gave a loud sigh, then looked at his confused soulmate. “ Guess we'll have that time alone together she was talking about.” he said smirking.


	31. The new king

“ Mom, listen to me, okay? Just listen!”  
Mary Margaret looked about to object, but then she shut her mouth. Emma sighed in relief.  
“ Okay, that's the thing: George is dead, David and Ruby, I guess, are trying to find out who killed him. I came here to tell you this and that we have... uh... changed a couple of thing in the system's policy, okay? You, dad and Regina will rule together with some spokespersons from the people and will take decisions by vote. By now it's the best we could do.”  
The teacher frowned and opened her mouth again, but Emma stopped her raising a hand. “ Wait, it ain't over. So, the kingdom is just one, not two kingdoms, one, okay? My fault, yes. We have two queens and one king and... Oh. Well, don't take it the wrong way, it's not like you have to share him. It's just... Anyway, please, don't argue with Regina. The last thing we need now is an internal fight. I avoided a French Revolution just thirty minutes ago, don't make me regret it. Please. She's trying, mom, really. She's trying so hard, can't you see it? Please, if you... if you keep pushing her down...”  
Snow White suddenly hugged her, not fast enough to impede her to see her wet eyes. Emma let her hug her, but didn't move. She didn't feel like doing it. Not until she would know that she had understood.  
“ Emma, I'm so sorry! I should have never... I'm so sorry, so, so sorry! If I could only turn back time and slap my face this morning instead of coming at Regina's... I never meant to hurt you, I swear! I'm sorry... I'm sorry...”  
She was crying over her shoulder, hugging her so tight to almost choke her. Emma felt the tears press against her eyes, but swallowed them back.  
“ I-it's okay. “ she murmured, embarrassed. She patted her shoulder, not knowing what to do. She was never good with this kind of things. “ I...” Emma inhaled deeply. She had to do it. She had to force her, or it could last forever. “ I can forgive you.” she said, trying to keep her voice firm as her hands as she moved her mother. She needed to look her in the eyes. She needed to see if she was sincere. “ But only if you promise me that you'll let Regina be part of our family. “  
Mary Margaret furrowed her brow, opening wide her eyes. “ Are you... are you telling me that I have to choose between you and her?”  
“ Yes.” Emma sighed, felling the bravery and the conviction wipe away her fears. If she didn't love her enough to put aside hate she wasn't better than Cora. Emma didn't have a mother for twenty-eight years. If she had to stay an orphan for Henry's good, she would do it. She wouldn't waste his possibility to be part of a real family only because she didn't have that same possibility. If she had to choose between Henry and Mary Margaret, she'd choose Henry. “ Hate her or love me.” she concluded tightly.  
Snow White looked about to have a panic attack. She opened her mouth, goggled, paled, then glanced down. When she gazed up at her again, her eyes were full of tears and regret.  
“ Emma... Do you really think that I'd ever leave you again?”  
The Savior felt again the tears push to flow down on her cheeks. But she couldn't let them. She had to know first.  
“ You didn't really answer.”  
Mary Margaret's hands suddenly cupped her face as the teacher started weeping. “ You're my daughter, Emma. I'd do anything for you. You. I choose you. “  
Emma looked into those green eyes, mirrors of hers. She looked sincere, but she did even the last time. Could she trust her? Could she trust the shy school teacher? Her best friend? Her mother? Snow White, the one she knew, or the one that Regina's emotions sometimes showed her? Who of them she could trust? All of them? None of them?  
“ If you want I can kiss her boot to show you that I'm sincere, Emma. “ Snow smiled behind the tears. Emma couldn't help but give her a brief laughter. “ Just ask, I'll do it. I swear!”  
At that bright, warm smile, The Savior's tears started falling, and she folded her mother in her arms. She had missed her.  
“ It won't be necessary.” she said with her voice broken by emotion, distorted by a smile.  
Mary Margaret laughed softly, giving her a squeeze. “ Good, it would have been terrible! For me, I mean. I'm sure that she'd enjoy it. “  
Emma smiled and closed her eyes. “ Mh, maybe. “  
“ Maybe?”  
She snorted. “ Meh, okay, yes, she would, but not as much as you think.”  
Snow White broke the hug to look at her, her eyebrows lifted. “ So, now that's how it works: you always defend her, uh?” The hint of wit in her voice made Emma relax.  
She shrugged. “ When she'll do something wrong again, I'll kick her ass, don't worry.” she smirked, causing Mary Margaret's grin.  
“ I'm looking forward to it.”  
“ Mom!”  
She laughed. “ Just kidding. Mostly.”  
They looked at each other for a while, then bursted out into laughter.  
“ Uhm, I should go now. Ya know, technically I'm the sheriff, should be working on the case...”  
“ Yes, yes, go to help your father! Hurry!” she said smiling and waving her hand in the air, motioning to her to go away. “ Don't look at the body, but help him.”  
“ It's not like I've never seen a cadaver, mom...”  
“ Yes but have you ever seen a beheaded man?”  
Emma pressed her lips together and swallowed. “ Nope.”  
“ Good. Don't. Now go, that poor man has just become a king and he's already washing the blood away from his realm! “  
“ What?”  
“ Never mind. Go!”  
Emma frowned but exited the empty classroom. She almost stumbled in a wave of children. She managed not to step on their feet for a good part of the hallway, and she was about to pass all of them when Henry called her out.  
“ Momma? What's happening?”  
“ All fine, kid! Just needed to say a thing to Mary Margaret.”  
The boy tilted his head to his left and pinched his lips, frowning. Regina. He was a fucking little male version of Regina. “ Couldn't you call her?”  
“ Errr... It... It was important. Needed to talk face to face. “  
“ Was it about what happened this morning?”  
The Savior sighed. “ Yes, yes, exactly. Listen, go to your lesson now. I'll tell you everything later, I promise. Don't have the time now. “  
He seemed to think about it, but he smiled in the end. “ Okay. See you later!”  
She smiled back at him. “ Yeah... See you later.” she said, unconvinced. If she had to investigate on George's death, that later could mean the day after. She watched him enter the classroom, and only then she got out of school, jumping on her yellow bug.

Ruby blowed away a red lock from her eyes. The smell of blood made her nervous, antsy. The sight of the section of Spencer's neck nauseated her. She wondered where the head could be.  
“ Dave.”  
“ Uh?”  
The man was examining the body together with that sex bomb in trench coat otherwise known as Dr. Whale.  
“ Where the hell is the head?”  
David gazed up at her and frowned. “ Wish I knew. Any idea?”  
She just shrugged, and Charming went back looking at the bloody corpse.  
“ What weapon was used to cut it off?” she asked after a while. Victor, crouched before the body, sit on his haunches and locked gaze with her, moving in the air his gloved, bloody hands.  
“ I suspect a sword. There are many cuts, the killer wasn't an expert. It took a bit to cut the head off. Looks like they weren't strong enough to do it with just one cut. “  
Ruby winced and grimaced with disgust. “ Ugh...”  
“ Yep... But what's really weird is the blood.”  
The waitress raised her eyebrows. “ What's wrong with the blood? “  
The doctor vaguely pointed a finger at the ground.” There isn't enough. There should be plenty of it, but there's just that little puddle next to the neck. He wasn't killed here. “  
“ Oh.” David commented, staring at the blood on the asphalt. “ So someone killed him, then carried his body here, but left the head somewhere else. The killer wasn't strong enough to cut his head in one fell swoop. We must suppose he wasn't strong enough to carry his body, either. He needed a car or, better, a van to transport it here. And he did it all in the middle of the day. Is it possible that none saw anything?”  
Ruby shrugged. “ I asked around, but they were all working, or home. None ever uses this road actually, David. We all take Main Street.”  
“ I know, I know...” he sighed standing up and taking off the blue gloves that Whale had given him. He passed a hand across his face.  
“ What do we do now? We don't have the means for an official investigation, I mean, there's no forensics department in Storybrooke.” Victor said standing up in turn. “ And we can't ask the Boston police to help us. I can keep the body in a refrigerating room, but I can't take fingerprints from it.”  
“ Of course. Take the body to the hospital.” he said to Victor before gazing at her. His eyes narrowed a little as a little smile crossed his face. “ I have an idea of how to catch the killer.”  
Ruby frowned. “ Dave, I don't know if I can...”  
His smile widened. “ I believe that you can do it, Ruby. “  
“ No, really, if the killer used a vehicle, I can't follow the trace...”  
“ Even if he used a car, it will be full of blood. Even I can smell it, Rubes! But I don't know how to follow the smell. You know how, instead. Think of it like a first lesson for me.”  
Ruby looked in his trustful blue eyes. If there was someone able to convince her to do something, that was David Nolan.  
She gave a nod. “ Okay. Lemme concentrate a second.”  
She caught a glimpse of his bright smile before she closed her eyes and looked for the beast inside of her, part of her. The wolf smelled through her nostrils, amplifying the thousands of smells in the narrow road. David... his scent had changed. She could smell the wolf he was about to become. Victor smelled of soap, aftershave and cotton. The wheels of the Sheriff's car, what lasted of the smell of the crowd that had stood there, her own car's smell. The blood. Under the body, over the body. A drop three steps away, another at the end of the road, where it crossed Main Street. Red snapped open her eyes. She had found the trace.

The door exploded at Regina's hand slight movement. They entered the house. Her boots almost slid on the blood on the ground. The walls looked almost painted with it.  
Regina sneered. “ Looks like I was right.”  
Shaya passed her over. “ Indeed, let me go first now. “ she said hurriedly, her sword preceding them both. The house looked empty. Not that she believe it to be it.  
“ Mitchell!” Regina shouted, listening to the quiet of the house then.  
Shaya glanced at her. “ Maybe he ran away.” she murmured.  
“ He can't. None of us can leave Storybrooke. We'd lose our memories.”  
The warrior frowned. “ Oh. In this case, I suggest to look under his bed.”  
“ Stay still or I kill her!”  
They both turned at the sudden sound. Mitchell was standing at their left. He was holding Cinderella still, aiming a knife at her throat.  
“ Don't move!” he cried, startling the girl, who started weeping.  
Regina calmly smiled at him. He had always been a coward. “ Trust me, it isn't a good idea to kill your son's lover.” she bitterly said, successfully trying to keep her cold. If he had had a chance to stay alive, he had just lost it.  
“ Shut up, Regina!” he shouted. He was sweating, his face was red. He looked to be gone off the deep end. “ Get the hell out of here!”  
The brunette raised her brows. “ Already? We've just arrived!”  
“ I swear I kill her!”  
Regina shrugged cackling. “ Do you really think I care?”  
Mitchell's gaze darted around frantically. He looked about to scream. “ Y-you... Let me out! “  
“ Mr. Herman, please...” Ella whispered in a desperate weep. The knife had notched slightly her skin, and now a rivulet of blood was running down her throat.  
“ No, Mitchell, I won't. You killed George, and that could have even been a good thing if you hadn't tried to set me up for it. You proved yourself and enemy of mine, dear. And you know what happens to my enemies...” Regina sneered, suddenly waving a hand in the air. The blade of the knife disappeared. Or so it seemed.  
Mitchell goggled, his back arched, his mouth opened for a scream that he never gave voice to. Ashley ran away at her gesture.  
“ …They...” she was about to conclude, pushing further the blade in the man's back towards his heart, when Emma's voice startled her.  
“ Regina!”  
The Savior ran inside the house, sliding on the blooded floor. Shaya grabbed her before she could fall.  
“ Shit! Thanks...” she murmured, her cheeks reddened, and not by effort of the run. “ Regina don't kill him! “ she then said hastily, her big eyes searching for hers.  
The brunette glanced at the man, standing up only thanks to her little, magical help. He was most surely suffering with that steel blade inside his left lung. His mouth and nose were stained with blood.  
“ Why?” she asked, a hint of disgust in her tone, gazing back at the Savior. She didn't want to make him suffer. Killing him was enough. “ Talk fast, Miss Swan, he has a knife in his lung.”  
As a confirm, the man coughed, spitting blood. Emma paled, and looked about to swoon.  
“ B-because he will have a process as in any fucking civil town, Regina, that's why!”  
Regina sighed and felt her nostrils dilate as she rolled up her eyes. She moved her hand and the blade appeared in it. Mitchell fell on his knees, breathless, but unharmed. She had healed the mortal wound.  
“ As you wish!” she exclaimed with a hint of exasperation in her voice. At that rate they'd be killed in less than a week! “ Spare him, let him be judged by a fair court! And then? You'll keep him in your comfortable cell at the Sheriff's station for his whole life? Seriously, Emma? “  
“ I'm not letting you kill him just because you're used to do it, Regina!”  
The brunette raised her brows. “ Used? This is not about habits, Emma! It's about our own safety! He beheaded a man because he wanted the people to massacre us so that he would become the king! Do you really think that he won't try again if he has the chance to?”  
“ He won't have that chance! He'll be in prison!”  
“ One can escape from prison!”  
Emma stared at her, enough time to make Shaya intervene. “ You said that who goes out of Storybrooke looses their memory...” she suggested eying her.  
Regina significantly stared at the Savior. Emma raised her hands.  
“ What...? Do you want to exile him?!”  
Regina shrugged, glancing at the man. She cocked an eyebrow as she noticed his expression. He was sneering. His eyes were glittering.  
“ He doesn't look that disappointed...” she said, glancing then at the Sheriff.  
Emma frowned and gazed at him. Regina clearly saw her shake.  
“ What are you smiling at? You killed a man!” Emma exclaimed. She looked really pissed off, as she would say.  
Mitchell grinned. “ I'm the King.” He stood up. Shaya's sword immediately aimed at him. But it's edge was slightly trembling. Regina gazed at the warrior, but she kept staring at the man, though her eyes were wide open. There was something wrong. Shaya looked scared... Mitchell cackled with laughter, but Regina kept watching her girlfriend, so she saw her treble and swallow. A glance at the man didn't give her any answer. “ I'm the King!” he barked “ Not that moron of George! Not that impostor, David the farmer! He's not his son! He's nothing!” he shouted “ I am the only King here! I'm the one who deserves to rule, the only one who has ever deserved it! And I'm taking what is mine!” he shouted, yelling then while running towards them with a candelabra he had just grabbed from the piece of furniture next to him.  
Regina cocked an eyebrow as she raised a hand, freezing him with the hand raised and his mouth opened in the muted, fierce scream.  
“ So...” she said, gazing at the Savior. “ ... this makes all way easier: seen his conditions, we can both be satisfied.”  
Emma questioningly stared at her. Regina sighed. It wasn't her fault. DNA, she repeated to herself, DNA.  
“ The asylum, Emma.”  
The blonde's eyes widened. “ Oh. Right.”  
“ None can escape from that place. And it's detention, not exile nor death sentence. I think it's fair enough?”  
Emma slowly nodded, her mouth still opened, as if she was thinking of something really, really complicated to understand. To Regina it was like looking at Charming's face. Quite annoying.  
“ Yes.” she murmured, glancing at the "king". “ But there must be a process, Regina. “  
The brunette gave an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. “ What the hell, Emma, do you really need a fake judge to know that he's guilty? You're walking on George's blood! He was about to kill Cinderella, and he just tried to kill us with a candelabra! Do you need any further prove, Sheriff?”  
“ But...”  
“ There's no "but"! What "but"? “  
Emma stared at her like if she had just gone off the deep end. Her face crumpled. “ Okay, you might be right, I admit it. “  
“ Ah, gosh, thank you!”  
“ But we can't choose alone.”  
Regina narrowed her eyes, and was ready to object, but then she remembered the new hierarchy, and sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She took the base of her nose between forefinger and thumb, still shaking her head.  
“ Those two idiots could give him a Medal of Honor if he told them the right words...” she grumbled, and heard Shaya's stifled laughter behind her shoulder. She suddenly raised her head, gazing at the warrior, smiling. “ You're part of the council!” she exclaimed, relieved.  
Shaya frowned, confused. “ Which council?”  
“ Ours! The one that will rule Storybrooke! Me, you, Emma, and the two idiots!”  
“ Regina, I'm not part of the council, and you forgot the people's spokesmen.” Emma corrected her. She got rid of her words waving a hand in the air.  
“ Of course you're part of the council, Emma! You've created it!”  
“ Yes but...”  
“ Wait, wait! Honey, I can't be part of this council. I'm no queen.” Shaya said with a worried expression that knitted her brows and widened her eyes.  
Regina couldn't help but smile at that face. She caressed it, leaning her fingers under her chin before taking back her hand.  
“ Not yet.” she corrected her, leaving her open-mouthed. “ And it doesn't matter anyway: Emma is just a princess, but she's part of it.”  
“ I'm not...” Emma tried to protest, but the Queen plowed on.  
“ I don't think I could stand the Charmings for so long without you, Shaya! I'd probably attempt at their life after an hour!” she laughed, making the warrior snort. She really wished her to rule. She'd be the best of them, she'd guide them. She'd guide her.  
“ Regina...”  
“ Please, Shaya!”  
The warrior uselessly tried to repress a smile. She locked gaze with her, burning her soul with that loving stare. A smile made the sensation milder.  
“ My love, you should at least consult your peers before asking me to become one of you.”  
“ Ah, they adore you, they'll agree!”  
Shaya's face froze. “ Not sure that they still adore me...”  
Regina frowned, tilting her head to one side. “ What? Why?” An intuition crossed her mind. “ What have you told to Snow?”  
Shaya guilty smirk made her internally giggle.  
“ Uh, I, uh... I just made things clear with her.”  
The giggle became external. “ I see.” she said with a knowing look at her.  
Emma raised an eyebrow. “ Can we bring back our attention to the immobilized man in the hallway before that you two start making out?”  
Regina glared at the Savior. “ Mr. Herman has all the attention he needs, Miss Swan, or he wouldn't be still immobilized. A little bit of time to calm down won't hurt him.”  
“ Oh, right, sorry, Hermione...”  
The brunette goggled at that name. If she thought that she didn't know who Hermione was, she was terribly wrong.  
“ Miss Swan! First of all, calling me like the most brilliant witch of a children's novel isn't such a smart offense, seen that she's supposed to be the world girl's role model. Second, I'm happy to know that you've read at least one book in your life, even though it's just a ridiculous representation of us casters. Like if we needed a stupid wand to cast spells! Third, it's the second time you call me that, so please, Emma, stop it. It's way too childish for the Savior.”  
Emma's face fell. Open-mouthed, the Savior aimed at her with a hand, then glanced at Shaya, then locked gaze with her again. She looked about to speak for three times. At the fourth, she managed to do it.  
“ Regina!” she squeaked “ Did you read Harry Potter?”  
The brunette sighed, cocking an eyebrow. “ No, Miss Swan. Not for myself, at least. Obviously. I've read it to Henry, who loved it. He wanted to be a wizard then, so I wrote a fake letter from Hogwarts and gave him. He knew it was fake, but we jumped on the car and I took him to the place that you know as "his castle", pretending that my Mercedes was the train and that that one was Hogwarts. “ Regina's voice had lowered, her gaze, she knew it, was distant. “ We used to go there everyday and pretend to be Harry Potter and...” a smile curved her lips “ I always changed my character, depending on what he was up to do...” her soft laughter mixed up with her words. She missed those days,when he was so little that she could pick him up and listen to his laughter, his beautiful, carefree laughter.  
Until he had start attending school, he had laughed together with her. He had been happy, they had been happy. Then Henry had met Mary Margaret, and destiny had began to work.  
Regina gazed up at Emma. She looked sad. A mirror of her own feelings. She smiled at the Savior. It wasn't her fault. And it didn't matter now, anyway. Henry could be happy again. She was doing her best to make him happy. They were doing it, she suddenly realized, as Emma wished. Her smile widened, and Emma's appeared.  
“ However...” Emma said, looking a bit embarrassed, but smiling. “ ...I watched the movie, actually. “ 

“ So? Is she still there? What is she doing now?”  
“ Dave relax, for fuck's sake! You asked me a minute ago!”  
“ Yes but what is she doing?”  
“ Finishing the sentence she began when you asked me.”  
“ But does she look fine?”  
“ Oh, dammit! Yes, David, she's fine, she's smiling and they look about to get out of that bloodbath! There she is, d'you see her! Now take a breath, please!”  
Charming stretched his neck to see his daughter from the pickup's mirror. Ruby rolled her eyes, sighing, but a little smile crossed her face. Daddy Charming was super cute, even if a bit annoying.  
She gave him a last glance before gazing at the three women exiting the house. Mitchell was floating in the air behind them, immobile in a rigid position. Ruby frowned. She really didn't know that Regina could do this. Again, she wondered how Snow could have survived her for all those years.  
They stopped next to the parked car. Regina glowered at them both, but Ruby took it as a greet, and smiled at the brunette, gaining a slight bow from Rapunzel.  
“ Hey, can we put him in your pickup?” Emma asked at her father, nodding towards the floating man.  
Charming lowered his head to look up at the former king, frowning, then slightly nodded at his daughter. “ Of course. Is he okay?”  
Emma shrugged slightly. “ Yes, but a serious mental disorder...”  
“ Oh.”  
“ Yep. Listen, we need to talk to Mary Margaret and whoever is part of the council. Now. About him. Now.”  
David nodded once. “ Of course. I'll call them. Where can we gather?”  
Regina rose her eyebrows. “ Guess that the Town Hall is the most fitting place.”  
David gave her a smirk. “ Alright, then. See you there in ten minutes?”  
The Queen and the Savior nodded at the same time. “ Yes.” they both said, awkwardly glancing then at each other. Ruby gazed at Rapunzel. An inner laughter passed between them.  
She then gazed at David, who looked slightly exasperated, and smelled of tiredness.  
A thump informed them that Mitchell was on the pickup.  
“ Okay. See you later.” David said before starting the car and driving away from that smell of blood.  
“ Ruby, please, call Snow and tell her to run at Regina's. Then call Belle, Grumpy and Archie.”  
“ Mh-mh...” Ruby commented, already dialing Snow's number. She answered after three rings.  
“ Ruby?”  
“ Hey, yes, it's me. “  
“ Is it...”  
“ Listen, poor time, important things: go to the Town Hall right now. We have the killer. Need ya there.”  
“ But...”  
“ See you there.”  
She unwillingly hung up on her. But she was already dialing Belle's number.  
The Mayor answered after three calls and many curse words.  
“ Hello?”  
“ Ah, thank you, you've heard it! “  
“ ... Who's there?”  
“ Ruby.”  
“ Oh, Ruby, sorry, I hadn't...”  
“ Listen, Belle, go at the Town Hall, we need you. Run, you're already late!”  
The waitress hung up before that the Mayor could even think of an answer. With a sigh she composed Leroy's number.  
“ What's up, sister?”  
“ Need ya. See you at the Town Hall now.”  
“ At the Town Hall?!”  
“ Yep.”  
“ Mh, okay.”  
He hung up on her. Ruby glanced at the phone raising her eyebrows. “ I love you, Leroy...” she murmured with a sigh, calling Archie.  
The shrink's husky and cheerful voice reached her ear.  
“ Ruby! Glad to hear from you! How are you?”  
“ Hey, Archie! I'm fine, but I didn't call to chat, I'm sorry. We need you, the council is gathered. At the Town Hall.”  
“ Oh, well, o-okay. When?”  
“ Ehm, now, actually. We'll be there in a minute. Can you run here?”  
“ O-of course! “ the sound of a door clicking shut covered his pause. “ I'll be there in a heartbeat.”  
“ Great! Thank you!”  
“ See you there!”  
She put back the phone in her pocket and triumphantly smiled at David.  
“ Mission accomplished!” she exclaimed, making him snort.  
“ Really, Rubes, I don't know what I'd do without you!”  
“ You'd call your friends and drive at the same time, being so a terrible deputy!”  
He laughed hard, slowing down the car and parking it next to the entrance of the Town Hall.  
The Mercedes was already there.  
“ I didn't think that Regina could drive this fast.” he commented, pulling the handbrake.  
Ruby shrugged. “ Guess we don't really know her. I don't, at least.”  
They locked gaze. David pinched his lips and tilted slightly his head. “ You should be part of the council, too.” he said, a smile that narrowed his bright eyes. “ I will need your advices, after all. “  
“ Oh, not really! Just until the full moon, and there you'll be a perfect werewolf without my help. And I can barely choose what I want to wear in the morning, imagine if I can choose the fate of an entire kingdom!”  
He burst into laughter at her words. “ Okay, but think about it!” he said, getting off his car.  
Ruby imitated him. “ I will. “ she sighed, thoughtful, following him through the central red door.


	32. Card deck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry for this month of delay, but I was very, very busy publishing my first book, so I didn't have the time to update the ff. :) I'm posting all the last chapters today, so you won't have to wait anymore ;) Besos

The wheels screeched when Mary Margaret jammed on the brakes, stopping the car a few inches behind David's pickup.   
Archie clasped to his seat. “ Mary Margaret!” he exclaimed, pale, as he had been since he had jumped on her car. She had seen him running on the sidewalk, and she had given him a lift. He had probably regretted it by now.  
She jumped off the car, slamming the door. Calm down, Snow, calm down, she was repeating to herself since Red's calling. She didn't want to know who the killer was. She knew that she knew him or her, so she didn't want to know.   
She turned around her car to enter the street in front of the Town Hall, but when she gazed up at the doors, she found out that one was being opened, and a man, floating in the air, was entering the building.   
Snow's jaw fell dropped.   
Emma suddenly sticked out from the door and beckoned, disappearing a second after.   
Mary Margaret gazed at the shrink, who was adjusting the glasses on his nose.  
He looked back at her.   
“Guess we didn't imagine it.” he said, shrugging.   
Snow frowned. She hadn't had the time to recognize the supposed killer. She sighed. With slow paces she reached the open red door.  
“Uh. I though you'd stand there stock-still for a couple of hours before coming in. “ Regina said mockingly as she entered the Hall.   
Snow simply ignored her. She ignored even David, who approached her to greet her. She was staring at Mitchell, laying rigid against the wall like a broomstick. His eyes were opened, but he was immobile. Only his chest moved, regularly, indicating that he was actually alive, and not a wax sculpture.   
“ Is...him?” she asked. She perceived Regina roll her eyes.  
“ No, I've just bought a new piece of furniture. I like Mitchell's shape, it matches with the hall tree.”   
She gave the brunette just a quick glare. “ I just can't believe that he could do such a horrible thing. “  
“ Well, dear, I'm afraid you'll have to believe it. His hall was covered in blood, and he confessed, anyway. Let alone the fact that he attempted at Miss Boyd's life.”  
Snow locked gaze with Regina, astonished. “ What?!”   
“ He menaced to cut her throat.”   
“ What? But... “ Snow White gazed at the immobilized man. “ ...she's the mother of his grandson...”   
Mitchell's eyes darted with hate, startling her. She flinched at that stare. She hand never seen it on his face.   
“ Have you... have you talked to Sean?” she asked, her eyes fixed on the man. She had the terrible feeling that he would suddenly move in moments, trying to kill her. His eyes told her so.  
“ Not yet. “ Emma answered instead of Regina, making her turn to look at her.   
Her daughter pinched her lips and glanced down. “ We wanted to do this thing before. “   
Snow furrowed her brows. “ Which thing?”  
“ Talk with you all.” Emma explained, looking outside the door. Snow followed her gaze, and saw Grumpy walk quickly towards them, followed by Belle. Emma waited for them to come in before continuing. Ruby walked behind her and shut the door, gaining an incredible "thank you, Miss Lucas" from Regina that made her blush and murmur a sort of "no problem" without vocals.   
“ We're all here, it seems.” Emma said awkwardly, causing David's smile.   
“ This isn't the most appropriate place for a smoke-filled room. I suggest to move to the conference room, so that we can all sit at the table. “ Regina said, gaining, probably for the first time in her life, the general approval.  
They all followed her, but David reached for Snow's hand and held her still until they were the last of the group.   
“ You can greet me now. She isn't watching, she won't vomit.” he said in a whispers, smiling as a child.   
Snow smiled back at him and kissed him, pulling him then towards the assembly room.   
“ It wasn't for her. I was just shocked. I'm sorry.”   
“ Never mind. I've got what I needed, now.”   
They sat at the table with the others. Regina was obviously sitting at the head of the table. David sat at the other head without hesitating. Emma was at Regina's right, and watched them with a lost stare when they headed to the opposite side of the table. Mary Margaret smiled reassuringly at her, and she looked a bit relieved. Maybe she though that it was a challenge towards Regina, but it wasn't. They were just making things clear between them.   
Snow sat at David's right, and Grumpy sat next to her. Ruby, after a bit of hesitation, sat next to David, too, at his beckoning.   
Archie sat between Emma and Ruby, Belle between Rapunzel and Grumpy. It all gave Snow some kind of sense of harmony that relaxed her, making her ready to face that duty.  
“ Good. Now that we're here gathered, we can begin. We're here to discuss about the fate of Mitchell Herman, former king, confessed criminal for the homicide of King George.” Regina announced formally. “ Miss French, seen that you've been elected Mayor by the people, you'll be their spokeswoman for today's assembly. Unless there are any objections, obviously. “   
Regina locked gaze with her. Snow stared back at her, trying to keep her face neutral. After some moments of silence, the older woman gave a little, satisfied smirk.  
“ Good. King David, would you mind to begin to explain to the council today's events?”   
David swallowed, but the cleared his throat and began speaking. “ Of course. In the early afternoon Gold called the Sheriff's office, saying that there was a beheaded body in the middle of Arendelle Street, and that he was sorry but he was quite sure that it was my father's. I so ran there.”   
“ And Gold was already gone?” Regina questioned him.  
David nodded once. “ Indeed. But there were many people around the body already, so I tried to hide the body with the car and to send them away. “  
“ But you failed...” Regina said, hiding a smirk. Well, she hid it, at least, Snow forced herself to think. For Emma, she remembered to herself, glancing at her daughter. For Emma.  
“ Yes, because they were George's guards. Two of them had called the others. They were too many, and too angry.”  
Regina nodded thoughtfully. “ That's true. And what happened next?”   
“ Emma joined me, and they got furious. Then you appeared, Regina, and they were about to kill us. Fortunately, Emma was there.” he concluded, proudly smiling at his daughter, who blushed and glanced down.   
“ Why?” Belle asked, confused. “ What happened then?”   
“ She changed everything.” David answered smiling, making Snow look at their daughter again. She seemed to wish to hide under the table. “ She united our kingdoms, bringing the peace among us. And doing so she brought George's men by our side, promising them a peaceful future, and justice for their king.”   
They all gazed at Emma, who was actually slowly sliding down her chair. Snow saw Regina repress a smile, pinching her lips. Hers disappeared, but she managed to hide it glancing down.   
“ What happened then?” she asked, taking everyone's attention away from Emma, who gratefully glanced at her.   
“ David said that he would think about the homicide, and Emma had to inform you, Snow, so I just went back at the Mayor's office, where I came from. “ Regina said with flat voice, simply reporting the facts. “There I found my first suspect, Rumplestiltskin, but, after a quick chat, I understood that he wasn’t the culprit. On the other hand, he made me understand who it could be.”  
Archie protruded slightly on the table. “How?”  
Regina gave him a smirk. “ The culprit had to be one who had never killed anyone with his hands, seen that he had panicked enough to leave the body in the middle of the day next to a trafficked road. He wanted to set us up for George's death, but, seriously, which conspirator would leave the body of the king in the middle of Arendelle Street? I think you all know that if I had killed George, he would simply incur into some sort of accident. If Shaya did it, he would just disappear. And David and Snow simply wouldn't do it, let alone Emma, but if they did, the body wouldn't be surely beheaded, let alone left across a secondary street. So, the killer had planned the thing just in a half, or he would have done one of those things. It had to be someone not that smart and quite desperate to do such an idiocy. Someone who had acted in rage and then made short thoughts of an approximated plan not to be blamed for the crime. And it had to be someone with a sword. That someone, to me, could only be Mitchell Herman.”   
“ And he was.” Rapunzel intervened, her voice low, almost threatening although it was calm. She looked at Regina, who nodded at her, and only then she plowed on.   
“ We went to Mitchell's house. Regina made us in, and we found ourselves in what could've been mistaken for a slaughterhouse. The walls, the furnitures, the floor, it was all covered in blood. A clear proof that George had been beheaded in the hall.”   
“ That's true.” Emma said “ I... slid on the floor when I ran inside. It was full of blood.”  
“ And was Mitchell inside?” Snow asked towards Regina, who nodded once.   
“ Yes. He showed up holding Ashley still and aiming at her throat with a kitchen knife. I made the blade materialize in his lung, so Miss Boyd had the opportunity to run away and I had the chance to talk with Mitchell. I was about to kill him when Emma came in and stopped me, demanding a process for him. So I healed him, and Emma talked to him.”   
Regina significantly stared at Emma, who swallowed and locked gaze with David.  
“ Yes, he was... laughing. So I asked him why, and he said that he was the only king, because you aren't George's son. Then he tried to attack us, but Regina stopped him.“   
There were a few minutes of silence. Everyone was rationalizing the report. Everyone was thinking about the consequences of what had happened. Mitchell had killed George. The two kingdoms that had fought against one another more than any other realm in the Enchanted Forest had become one. Mitchell had to be punished. Thomas would be destroyed by all of this, and he had to take the throne of his father's kingdom. They needed to find a way to get out of Storybrooke. People were beginning to go crazy in that town.   
“ So, Regina, I assume that you vote for a death sentence.” Snow White suddenly said tightly, eying the stepmother. She glared at her, smiling slightly.  
“ Actually it isn't so, dear.” she said, surprising her. Her reaction made Regina's smile grow wider. “ After a brief but instructive chat with your daughter and that idiot leaning against my wall, I've found the perfect way to solve this situation: the psychiatric institute.”   
Snow clearly saw Belle give a jump. She sympathetically gazed at her, but the Mayor was staring at Regina.   
“ W-why not the prison?” she asked, making the Queen look at her.  
“ Because we don't have a prison, Madame Mayor.” the older woman said with a mocking note in her voice.   
Belle glanced down, but she then locked gaze with the Queen again. “ We'll need a medical certificate that he actually is mentally ill to lock him down there.”   
“ He is, Belle.” Emma said gazing at her with huge eyes. “ He's a fucking sicko, trust me.”   
“ Why can't we send him out of Storybrooke? “ David asked. “ He'd loose his memory, he would never come back. “  
“ First of all, because it's what he wants...” Regina began. Snow immediately stopped her.  
“ This isn't a revenge, Regina, it's justice, if you know what this means.” she harshly said, realizing just a second later what she had actually said. Emma's glare confirmed her how stupid she had been. She opened her mouth to take back what she had said, but Regina was faster speaking.  
“ ... and if he wants it, there must be a reason. One who wants to rule the world doesn't give up so easily. “ she plowed on, lowering her voice, making Snow gaze down with embarrass.   
“ I'm sorry, I was...”   
“ Idiotic. As always. “ Regina quietly growled, making her swallow. She was right. There was nothing she could say to change it.   
“ Do you think he may have some sort of gateway to come back here? Or in the Enchanted Forest?” Archie asked to Regina, warily glancing at Snow.   
“ It's possible. “ Regina said. “ Or, maybe, he's just so desperate to be ready to loose his memory. I don't know, but I'm not risking my family's life because I don't want a man to loose his freedom. Even in this mild world a murderer is imprisoned to life. I don't see why we should exile him, risking a vengeance, instead of solving the question once and for all. “

“ Because I've been there.” Belle said, gazing at Regina. Something passed across her dark eyes, something similar to regret. Enough to give her the bravery to go on, to let them know, and understand, maybe. “ I've been there, and I've been captive. “ she said, her eyes fixed in Regina's, who's stare seemed to soften, as if she understood what she felt, as if she had experienced those same things. “ And, trust me, it's not the same. In jail I know that you have a hour or so   
in which you can get out, breath fresh air, move, fell the sun rays on your face. When Rumple kept me captive, he let me out of my cell, I could move, he talked to me, even if he was rough.” she slightly laughed, easing off. She let her gaze wander over all of them, satisfied by their smiles, even if there was sympathy in their eyes. It just meant that they cared for her. Ruby looked about to weep, she thought with an inner, sweet smile. The only ones without a trace of sympathy in their eyes were Regina, who's face was a cold mask, and Rapunzel, who was gazing down, clenching her jaw. “ But in the cell under the hospital, none ever talked to me. They gave me pills that made me dull, if I tried to move too much they made me wear a straightjacket, if I talked to them they didn't answer. “ Belle locked gaze with Regina again. She looked a bit pale, and it relieved the Mayor. She felt regret, and it was enough for her to forgive her. She stretched over the table and reached for her hand, startling the Queen who, however, didn't move hers. “ Don't do this to him. “ she murmured. “ If he's mad, it isn't his fault. And that place won't help him. And if he isn't mad, he'll become it. “   
Regina seemed to think about it, so Belle leaned back against the seat back of her chair. They didn't take their eyes off of each other for a single moment.  
“ So, what are you suggesting? To build a prison for just one prisoner?” Regina asked tightly, pursuing her lips.   
“ You and I know that there are more than just one prisoner down there.”  
Regina leaned forward, gritting slightly her teeth while she spoke. “ Yes, and there they have to stay.”   
“ Regina...” Rapunzel suddenly murmured, making the Queen look at her. Belle did it too, curious.   
“ They're dangerous, Shaya. Have you seen Cruella? She wasn't one of the worst, trust me.”  
The mercenary locked gaze with her. They stayed that way for a while, silent, staring at each other as if they were speaking, and maybe they were doing it, somehow. In the end, Rapuznel sighed. “ I see. “ she murmured, looking away then, her jaw clenched again. Regina stared at her for a bit before glaring at Belle.  
“ I can't free them.” she stated.  
“ But they wouldn't be free...”  
Regina opened her mouth to answer, and it didn't seem a gentle answer, but Rapunzel forestalled her.  
“ They hate her. “ she explained. “ They live only to kill her. If we give them a chance, they'll take it. Nothing will stop them.”   
She said it quietly, but her stare was as sharp as her sword. Belle stared back at her, but she had to force herself to do it.   
The silence that followed was a clear sign that they were at a dead end. They wouldn't kill Mitchell, they wouldn't imprison him, they wouldn't exile him, and they most surely wouldn't let him free. What would they do to him?   
“ Let's turn him into a frog or something...” Emma suddenly said, as if she had read her thoughts and answered her question. She shyly smirked then. She was just kidding.  
Regina smiled at her. “ This isn't such a bad idea...”  
“ Indeed!” Snow suddenly exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table, startling them. She looked at her hand as if someone else had moved it, then hid it under the table. “ Blue! Blue could turn him into a child again, and he wouldn't be a problem anymore! He could grow up with good people, he wouldn't become the man he was! He'd be fine and we...”  
“ What a brilliant idea, Snow White! “ Regina exclaimed, angrily gesturing towards her. “ Let's turn all the criminals into children, none will commit a crime ever again! That's what I call an exemplary punishment! “  
“ B-but... It's not like...”  
“ What? It's not like it will look like a reward? Seriously, Snow? “  
“ Okay, calm down, bad idea, don't use it. It's all right.” Emma said, alternating her gaze between Regina and Snow.   
“ We could build that prison in the mines...” Leroy tried to say, but Regina looked daggers at him.  
“ Mines that menace to crumble at every hint of magic... He would escape at Emma's first sneeze.” 

The Savior cocked an eyebrow, glancing at the Queen. Was that a joke?  
“ We could hire him at Granny's. It's almost like being in prison. Plus, there's Granny.” Ruby said, making her laugh.   
“ But, really, are we going to stay here? “ Leroy suddenly said, looking at them all. “ In Storybrooke? Because you're speaking like we're gonna stay.”   
Emma looked at Regina, who silently stared back at her. She had erected her defenses, impeding her to feel through her heart. Which meant that she was bad. She didn't want to go back to the Enchanted Forest.  
“ No.” Mary Margaret said, catching her attention. “ We can't stay here. It's clear that is too dangerous, and we can't live our lives stuck in a tiny town in Maine. It wouldn't be different from an imprisonment.“   
The teacher looked up at Regina. The former Mayor looked shattered, although she tried to hide it. Shaya was holding her hand, and Emma knew that it was the only thing that kept her from leaping up and starting to yell at her mother.   
Regina stayed still and silent, and the room looked to quiet with her, like if it was a reflection of her mood, like if it was magic. That's why Ruby's intervention startled all of them.  
“ Storybrooke might even be a bit... constraining, but I love this town. The Enchanted Forest... I don't wanna go back there. There are only bad memories there.”   
Snow frowned, but then hopefully smiled at her. Emma's attention, though, was caught by Regina's surprise. The brunette, astonished, stared open-mouthed at the waitress.  
“ But we could build a new life in there, we could make new, good memories...” Mary Margaret was saying, but Emma interrupted her.  
“ Storybrooke is far better than the Enchanted Forest. Terrible food, ogres, war... Seriously, why do you want to go back there? I know it's your home, but...”  
“ You've just answered yourself.” Archie smiled at her.  
David sighed. “ Emma, I know it's hard for you, but that is our land. Our home, as you said. You've seen it that way because we weren't there. Now the realm might even be chaotic, but only because none ruled it for a long time. We can bring the peace there again, and then you'll see why we want to come back there. “  
Emma sighed. Maybe he was right. After all, it was Fairy Tale Land, with fairies, unicorns and everything. It had to be beautiful, when not in war. Enchanted Forest sounded good.   
“ So we should go there for the landscape?” she asked, making her parents frantically look at each other.   
“ No...” David began to say, but Mary Margaret plowed on.  
“ No, Emma. We should go there because it's our home. Yours, too.” she smiled.   
Emma had to look away. Home. She gazed at Regina. The slight sadness in her eyes gave shape to her decision. She knew what to do, now.   
The Savior looked back at her parents. “ I'll go wherever Henry will want to go. “ she stated.   
The Charmings raised their brows.  
“ O-okay. “ Mary Margaret stuttered, glancing at her husband.   
“ So will I.” Regina said. Emma gazed at her, and found that the brunette was giving her a slight smile.   
Archie was grinning like never before.   
“ I'll follow Rumple. And he wants to go back to the Enchanted Forest, he's already told me. “ Belle said with a smirk.  
Leroy grunted an " Enchanted Forest".   
“ I want to stay here.” Ruby said, gazing then at Mary Margaret. “ But I won't, if you'll go. “   
They smiled at each other, and held their hands before David, who nodded at the shrink.   
“ And you, Archie?” he asked, half smiling.  
The man smiled back at him, adjusting the glasses on his nose. “ Oh, I-I miss my wings!” he said, making David laugh.  
Emma frowned. Wings?! He actually was a cricket, so. Wow!  
David gazed at Shaya. “ And you?” he asked, surprising her, apparently.   
She cocked an eyebrow.   
“ Is that a real question?” she asked. David laughed, but nodded.  
“ It is.”  
The warrior gave a snort. “ Alright, if you need to hear it... I'll follow Regina through hell and back, so, aye, I'll come back with you in the Enchanted Forest if she will. Whatever she chooses, so whatever Henry chooses, it will be my choice, too. “   
The King gave a decided nod. “ Glad to hear it! Emma, Regina, do you both agree if I say that Henry wishes to go to the Enchanted Forest even more than we do?”  
Emma raised her brows. “ Surely more than me...” she murmured, looking at Regina, who frowned.  
“ Well, I think he does, but we should ask him anyway.”   
Emma nodded in agreement. “ Yeah, better do it. Maybe he has changed his mind in the meantime.”   
“ You're collecting him from school in less that one hour. We'll soon know.” Regina said, glancing at the clock.  
“ In your prisons he won't escape. “ Shaya suddenly said, staring at Regina. The brunette looked a bit confused, and gazed at her girlfriend in a weird way. Emma, surprised by the sudden change of subject, had a second of confusion before understanding that she was talking about Mitchell, and not about Henry.   
Regina gave her a wary nod. “ Indeed.”  
“ So he could stay in that... How did you call it? Oh, asylum, only until we get to the Enchanted Forest, and then we'll move him to a regular cell.” Shaya said, gazing then at Belle. “ So that he won't pass his life there, but just... I don't know... a fortnight? Maybe less? And then he will be a regular prisoner.” Her eyes fixed on the table then, and she pursued her lips, slightly tilting her head. “ Although the penalty for regicide is death by beheading, and I still can't understand why you all don't want to execute that traitor.” she added, gazing at Mary Margaret then.  
The teacher, the Queen, furrowed her brows in a concerned expression. “ We're trying to use the laws of this world, instead of the ones of the Enchanted Forest.”  
“ Why?”  
Shaya looked sincerely confused. Emma couldn't repress a smile. Talking with her was like talking with a medieval knight. A sort of time travel. It was funny, when she managed to ignore that killing people was way too normal to her.  
“ Because those laws were a bit too extreme. Trust me, Rapunzel, these are better.” her mother answered with a smirk.  
It didn't seem to convince the warrior: she gazed at Regina, who smiled at her.   
“ You know I'm by your side, Shaya... “   
Rapunzel gave her a brief laughter, shaking her head. “ Aye, I supposed it...”   
“ ... but, we have to deal with it, dear, our rules are old. This is the future. The Enchanted Forest, the way we lived there... People lived that same way here, although without magic, a thousand years ago. We can't ignore this. “   
Shaya goggled. “ A thousand years ago?!”   
Regina gave her a tiny smile. “ Circa, yes.”  
Shaya glanced down, frowned. “ Heyday! You're telling me that I'm reading scrolls when I could read books instead!”   
Regina softly laughed. “ Yes, basically.”  
“ I'm using today's laws then!” she exclaimed, slamming a hand on the table. “ I apologize for my ignorance, I'm making myself learned as soon as possible, I promise.”   
Emma stifled a laugh. “ You can't apologize for not knowing something! It's not your fault! How could you know that you had to know a thing if you didn't know the thing?”   
Ruby bursted out into laughter. “ Please, Em', say it again!”   
Rapunzel ignored her. “ I couldn't know it, but I could imagine it...”  
“ Shaya, you had other things to think about...” Emma objected, nodding towards Regina with a smirk. The brunette opened her mouth as if she was terribly offended.   
“ Miss Swan!”  
Emma grinned. “ What? I'm obviously talking about the hell that Storybrooke has become!”   
The brunette pinched her lips with a skeptic, scolding stare. “ Obviously...”  
Emma widened her smile so much that she felt her cheeks ache. Regina snorted and gazed down, shaking her head in disapproval.  
Satisfied, the Savior looked back at her parents, who were staring at her with a mild disbelief that furrowed their brows.   
“ So, are we done with this? Mitchell's the bastard, we know what to do with him, we wait for Henry to know what to do with us. Right?”   
“ Right.” they said together, glancing then at each other.   
“ Right. And you're the Queens...” she continued, aiming at her mother and at Regina with her forefinger. “ ... you're almost a Queen, too...” she said, nodding towards Rapunzel. “ ... and he's the King. And, look, then we have Red, the Queen of wolves... “ Ruby tried to protest, but she plowed on. “... Leroy and Archie, the jacks.“   
Leroy glowered at her, but the shrink softly laughed. “ That's quite an interesting point of view, Emma...”  
“ Wait, wait I ain't over! So, Regina, you...” she paused, narrowing her eyes, thinking twice. If she went wrong with it, that challenging glare would become an annoyed one, and her scolding about her childish behavior would hurt her just like the first time. “ Look, one could think that you're the Queen of Hearts, but I know that it's wrong.”   
At Regina's intrigued, almost invisible smirk, Emma grinned and continued.   
“ You're the Queen of Diamonds! “   
The brunette had the time to lift an eyebrow before that a sudden understanding crossed her stare. Her smirk became of amusement.   
“ You're referring to the mines...”  
Emma nodded once, excited: she had nailed it! “ Yep! And you, Ruby, you are the Queen of Hearts!”   
The waitress raised her brows. “ Me?”   
“ Yes! You! Because, well, because you're Red, you're actually red, now, and you always dress in red, so your color has to be the red! And because the first time we worked together you found a heart...” she laughed, tensely, glancing at Regina. “ ... so it kinda fits!” she awkwardly smiled. But the friend helped her, smiling in turn.  
“ Yeah, I guess... Except that I'm no Queen...”   
“ There are two werewolves here, and you're the only female, so you're the queen...”  
“ Mpf, Emma, it doesn't work this way!”  
The Savior waved her hands in the air. “ Who cares? Shut up, don't ruin my game!”   
Ruby snorted, shaking her head. “ 'kay...”  
“ Good. So, I was saying... Shaya, you're the Queen of Spades. Because spade looks dangerous, but if you take a better look at it, it has the shape of a heart.”   
She smiled, satisfied by the improvised reason. The warrior frowned, but then smiled.   
“ Guess it's a compliment.”   
“ It is! “   
“ So, we're the clubs?” David asked with a smile, catching her attention.   
“ Yep!” she answered, shrugging. “ I know that the symbol it's a trefoil...” she said, lifting her hand and showing her tattoo. “ ... but we may pretend that it's a flower...” she said, shyly smiling.  
She watched her parents' eyes fill with tears, he moved smiles grow wider.   
“ You're the Ace of Clubs, so?” Mary Margaret asked. Her eyes were shining, showing a happiness that Emma didn't expect to cause.  
She nodded once, smiling. The ace, uh? Well, she had thought of the jack, but, yes, maybe the ace was better. “ Yeah, ya know, I've heard I'm the Savior...”   
“ When you're done with this card deck thing, Emma, you should go to get Henry from school...” Regina calmly suggested. “ ... if you want to be there before the bus.”  
The Savior leaped up, grabbing her coat. “ Right! I need that ice cream I promised him!”   
She was about to go when a thought crossed her mind. She glowered jokingly at Regina and Mary Margaret, aiming two fingers at her own eyes, then at them. “ Don't argue while I'm out! “  
Regina simply cocked an eyebrow, but Mary Margaret smiled. “ I'll do my best.” she promised and, superpower or not, Emma believed her.


	33. Something horrible

Regina Mills pushed the door with the tips of her fingers behind her back, listening to the light "click" when it closed with an unexpected sense of freedom. The mansion was lighted by the relaxing light of the sunset, and its quiet filled the air.   
The woman lifted a bent leg to take off her heels, leaning with a hand against the wall not to fall. Ten inch heels. It wasn't easy to keep the balance on just one foot.   
The sound of the expensive shoes dropped on the floor inflated the sense of relief that taking them off caused to her feet. A loud sigh of mild pleasure escaped from her lungs.   
She tilted her head to move the hair from her face while she walked into the living room.   
“ Shaya?” she called her out, although no answer came from the empty room. Frowned, the brunette took a look around. She had to be home, where she had left her when she went imprisoning the imp. A shrug moved her shoulders. Maybe she was upstairs, and she didn't hear her.   
Regina went back in the hall, picked up her shoes and only then started climbing the staircase.   
She felt tired, exhausted. She knew that she needed only to lay on the bed and relax for a while, clear her mind, stop thinking. They would go back to the Enchanted Forest. She would live again in the castle that had been her prison for so long. Yes, this time there would be Shaya with her... There should be Shaya, she thought entering her bedroom and finding it empty. Worry and anger mixed in her chest in equal measure. Why did she had to act that way? Was it possible that every time that she left her alone for more than a hour she had to disappear?  
The Queen dropped the shoes and plopped down on the bed.  
That damn ceiling. White. The castle's was dark. She would miss her white ceiling. That house, every detail of it, was a part of her. She had created it, that town, Storybrooke. It had to be her future. Forever. And now they were taking it away from her.   
Regina leaned a hand on her chest, over her heart. The strong beats under her skin kept her calm. She still had Henry. He would be happy in the Enchanted Forest, he would love that place. And, maybe, he would teach her to love it again.   
She turned her head, gazing upside at the window. Behind the white curtains, the deep blue of the upper sky was mixing with a dark orange that lighted the horizon, behind the clock tower. A little smile curved her lips. She loved the sunset. It was so quick, and yet it all looked just so quiet, like if the whole world was silently watching the colors change, in awe, just like her.  
She blinked, and a white rectangle caught her attention. She lifted her chest and stretched to reach the folded paper on her night table.   
Huffing for the effort, she laid back down on the bed, opening the paper over her eyes.  
Shaya's elegant handwriting covered the middle of the leaf. " Wait for me. S.".   
Regina smiled, feeling stupid. Shaya was probably around, looking for a giant bouquet of the most beautiful flowers for her. The leaf fell over her heart, her hands upon it.  
The door clicked open. Regina's smile grew wider. She must had found Game of Thorns.   
Shaya closed the door, then her almost silent steps resounded, each one closer. Her silent way of walking was always a mystery to Regina. She had to be twice as heavy as she was, and she made half of the rumor when she walked.   
The brunette turned her head as the steps stopped. What she saw left her completely astonished.   
Open-mouthed, she lifted and laid her weight on her elbow to look at the stranger standing on the door: a black, skin-tight, elegant dress followed Shaya's every curve, leaving her mouth dry. It had a weird style, asymmetrical: a long slit let her left leg almost entirely bare, and the black fabric ran oblique over her right leg to end in a point at its side. The heels made her legs look infinite, her bare arms were just too sexy with their solidity, the muscles visible only when she bent them, yet always there to give them volume. A complicated tress, made of an impossible number of little tresses, kept part of her hair around her head, like some sort of a crown, with two short locks down to corner her face. There was no trace of makeup on her face, and Regina found herself happy with it. Nothing could make her more beautiful than her little, amused smirk.   
“ I can tell you like what you see, my Queen.” she said with the smile in her voice. She was leaning with a shoulder against the corner of the door, her hands behind her back.  
“ Oh, I... I...” for the first time in her new life in Storybrooke, Regina found herself speechless.  
Shaya gave her a sympathetic smile. “ Don't worry, honey, words aren't necessary with me.” she murmured, moving form the door and slowly walking towards her. Making just a light rumor. How the hell could she walk in heels that way?!  
Before she reached the bed, her right hand moved, showing a single, little yet amazing flower. Its many petals were tapered and curled up, like claws ready to clench what they were holding. The deep blue, almost purple of them was now and then speckled with lighter tones of color, almost white, giving the flower the illusive appearance of some sort of tropical sea animal, wonderful but poisonous. It didn't even look like a plant of that world. It looked magic.  
“ Shaya it... It's beautiful!” Regina exclaimed, taking in to examine it closely. “ What is this?”   
“ A rampion.” she answered with a smile showing in her tone. Regina gazed up at her.   
“ I had never seen one!”   
Shaya's chuckle caressed her soul. “ Of course you didn't. It doesn't grow here, nor in your kingdom in the Enchanted Forest. Unless you haven't payed visit to my motherland without me to notice it, you can't have seen one of these before.”  
“ And how on earth have you found one here?”  
The warrior sneered. “ I didn't. I just asked Rumple to turn a rose into a rampion.”  
Regina cocked and eyebrow, skeptic. “ And he simply did it?”   
“ Of course not! “ she laughed. “ But his request wasn't something I couldn't afford, so don't worry. “   
“ I always worry when it's about Rumplestiltskin.”  
“ Well don't, this time. There's no need, really.”   
Shaya's honest smile convinced her. He looked to be really a friend to her, somehow. Maybe she could relax, for once.  
“ Okay. Are you gonna tell me why are you all dressed up then?” she asked, letting her gaze slide all over her figure. Her waist was so thin that, if she hadn't had that skinny dress to reveal the contrary, she'd think that she was wearing a corset.   
A bit of embarrass pinched Shaya's lips, tinting her cheeks with slight red. “ Well, as you went out with Mitchell and David, I asked Red if she could help me out with you. I mean, my manners are a hundred years old, and, as you said, this is the future. I asked her what was considered romantic in this world, and she suggested me a dinner by candle light.” The warrior paused. She turned her hand, an invite to take it. The left arm was bent behind her back.   
Regina grabbed her hand, letting her help her to stand up.  
“ Then I asked her how should a lady dress in this world for such an occasion, and we went... uh... how did she called it? Oh, right, "shopping". She said that we've been "super-duper fast". Actually I just bought the only black dress in the store. “  
Regina stifled a laughter, amused. “ Why black?”  
She winked, smiling. “ I like black. Nevertheless, I know you're tired, don't try to deny it now, and I really don't want to see anybody else but you tonight, so I though we could just pretend that we're in a restaurant, if that's the right word, and stay home instead, and I cooked something. We'll get out another day. It's all on the table already. “  
Regina, surprised, and confused, frowned. “ How can it be already in the table?! You got in and you came upstairs, you can't possibly...”  
“ Have you ever met Merlin, my love?” Shaya asked with a smart light in her eyes.  
The brunette slowly shook her head. “ No.”  
“ Well, he's the laziest wizard you'll ever meet. He makes the objects do everything, he moves his hands only to cast spells. And he freaks out if you try to do something with your own hands when you're with him! He used to tell me: " Shapunzel- he always confuses the names- you have the gift of magic, why on earth won't you use it!? Ah, for Archimedes' beard! One can do everything without a single drop of sweat, and look, look, look at that stupid, useless, heavy piece of steel!"“ Shaya bursted out into laughter, and Regina did, too: her imitation of the supposed old man had been simply hilarious. “ He never cared about the price of magic. And so I learned how to make things move and do complex things, like how to set a table without breaking the crystal glasses, without wasting time I can spend with you.” she shrugged, still half-laughing.  
Regina shook her head. “ I love your efficiency.”  
Her little smile made her eyes glitter, a light she'd never stop watching.   
“ Glad to hear it. I was afraid it could be annoying. However, I didn't actually answered to your question.”  
Surprised, Regina raised her brows. “ Didn't you?”  
“ Nope. I'm dressed up because I wanted you to see even this part of me, not only the bad one. You know I'm a princess, but I never really showed you. You only saw the warrior. This is the woman. “   
Regina frowned, reaching for her arm. “ Shaya, your clothes don't make who you are...”  
“ I know, but they change my appearance. You're always elegant, Regina. I was beginning to feel like a mendicant with August's loose clothes! “  
“ I like how that shirt suits you!”   
“ Don't you like this dress better?”  
A smile forced Regina to admit that she was right. But just partly. “ That dress is beautiful and it's perfect for you, but, really, Shaya? Is this you? Would you wear it if I didn't like that kind of garments?”  
The blonde shrugged. “ Probably, to go to a feast. I do like this dress. “  
“ And to dine, home, with your girlfriend?”  
“ I didn't wear this for the dinner, honey. It was only to show you a part of me you didn't know.”   
Regina smiled sympathetically. “ Shaya! “ She went closer to her, wrapping her hands around her waist, gazing up at her eyes. “ The first time I saw you, the first thing I noticed was that you were a girl. Not a warrior, okay? I've seen a damn girl enter my throne room, and only then I realized that she was wearing an old armor...” she laughed, making Shaya smile.   
“ Alright, but still you had never seen me wearing a dress.”  
“ That's true, and I highly appreciate your choice, trust me.”   
Shaya arched an eyebrow. “ But?”  
Regina sighed. “ But I'm feeling guilty. You're doing it for me and... and...”  
Shaya's eyes darkened with sadness. She cupped her face in her hand, caressing her cheek with the thumb.   
“ You deserve it, Regina. You deserve everything I'll ever do for you, and much, so much more... “ she said, swallowing her in her eyes. If there had been a slight possibility for Regina not to move, it had just disappeared together with her self-control. She launched herself against Shaya, pressing her mouth on hers, uselessly trying to keep the thunder of feelings caged between their tongues. The woman faltered back under the impact, but her strong legs held them there, and her arms welcomed Regina's body between them. Regina suffocated her vulnerability under the burning passion of her kiss, enjoying the desperate way in which Shaya's teeth found her lips, her tongue reached for hers, her breath tangled with her own.   
Regina moved her hands and slowly caressed her breasts, up to down, then up again, cupping them, chocking the warrior's moans with her tongue. Her nipples were standing under the fabric, sensitive.   
“ Reg...”  
“ Shush...” she whispered, suddenly stepping to her right to make her turn, then pushing her as to make her fall on the bed. The Queen sat on the warrior and, before she could say a word, she pressed her forefinger against her lips and pushed down, virtually forcing her to lie on the sheets. “ You'll talk again when you won't be able to do otherwise. “   
Shaya swallowed, then weakly nodded. Her breaths were quick, her cheeks red, her pupils dilated.   
Regina slid her finger over her lips, over her chin and throat, between her breasts, over her chest and belly, feeling her muscles contract, her skin quiver between them and the black dress. She turned her hand, pointing the fingers towards herself, and slid over, touching her through the smooth fabric, making her open her mouth and crunch the sheets in her fists. She wanted to see her come, to hear her come. She needed to give her something, for once, to make her feel as good as she did with her everyday, and even only because she deserved it.   
She watched her bit her lower lip, probably not to talk, as she had ordered her. Regina smiled, amused. She wanted her to forget about her desires, now. Shaya's pleasure was the only thing that had to fill Shaya's mind, now.   
Regina bent forward, rubbing Shaya's arms with her palms, moving them and making them slide till over Shaya's head, and holding them there by her wrists. She then kissed her, making her close her glassy eyes, feeling her burning breath against her face, smiling in the kiss. She was pretty sure that, if she asked her, Shaya would come instantly. She had barely touched her, and the fabric had already dampened with her wetness. She was already on the edge.  
The Queen was tempted to say it. She distanced her lips for the warrior's, locking gaze with her. Oh, she looked so ready, so demanding for it. But she wouldn't speak, not yet. It wasn't enough. Oh, yes, Regina could simply lean forward, lick, bite that neck and then the lobe, purr it, that " come for me", and the orgasm would be right under her eyes and body, intense, desired, only for her. But it would be for her. And that wasn't her purpose.   
The brunette leaned forwards and, yes, licked, bit those neck and lobe, listened to the quick breaths, the suffocated moans, pinning the strong arms against the soft sheets. But she needed her hands. A quick thought, a sparkle of magic, and, even if she wanted it, Shaya couldn't move her hands, not even if she tried with all her strength.   
A devilish smile crossed the queen's face. Shaya's jaw was clenched. Obstinate girl!  
Regina delicately rubbed her fingers over her body, tickling her nipples under the dress, stifling a laughter at her muffled scream. She wouldn't resist for long. Not seen what she was about to do.   
Regina moved and slid between her legs, kneeling on the floor, suddenly spreading them then, stealing her a loud moan. The dress uncovered her, following its weight. Shaya closed her eyes, stopping watching her, dropping her head on the bed as if she was exhausted. Regina made her tongue click repeatedly.  
“ Oh, no, dear, I'm afraid you'll have to watch...”   
Shaya didn't open her eyes, she squeezed them.  
“ Regina, please...” she pleaded her, making her grin. Here you are, she thought.  
The Queen moved forward, making her tense, watching her shake. With a sudden movement, she ripped her black lace panties, startling her. She then got closer to her sex, talking on her, breathing on her, breathing her.  
“ I won't begin if you don't look, dear.”   
Shaya emitted an exasperated moan, arching her back as Regina's breath met her wetness.  
“ Regina, honey, I can't... Please...”   
The brunette gazed up at her. As her eyes laid on the pillow, it lifted, flying to Shaya.  
“ Up your head.” Regina ordered and the warrior, after a trembling sigh, obeyed. The pillow moved under her nape, and, although frowned, the blonde relaxed laying her head on it.   
“ Open your eyes, my love.” Regina murmured, as sweet as the sentiment that was warming up her heart and soul.  
Shaya opened wide her eyes at that calling. She stared at her, her mouth slightly open, without breathing.   
Regina kissed her inner thigh without taking her eyes off of hers, slowly moving towards her core, each kiss closer, each breath hotter.   
“ Hold on.” she whispered right before pressing her lips against her labia, her tongue that darted inside her. And, finally, Shaya couldn't obey. Regina didn't move, grabbing to Shaya's legs to stay there and go on licking her as the orgasm shook her body and made her scream, and tears slid all over her face. And it was just the first one. She went on licking, moving on her clitoris, then back around and in her vulva, letting the multiple orgasms take every inch of Shaya's strength until she surrendered, breathless, voiceless, pleading her to stop.  
Regina chuckled, satisfied, although certainly not as much as Shaya. She was so aroused now, but she had just wore her out, she couldn't ask Shaya to do something now. It was evident that she could barely keep her eyes open in that moment.   
Smiling, the brunette laid next to the blonde, gazing with pride at her shocked face as she dried hers. She freed her from her invisible laces.   
“ R-Regina...”  
“ It's about the... Mpf, I lost the count of the times you said, sorry, screamed my name tonight.” she said with an amused smirk, watching the warrior from above as she leaned her cheek on her palm.  
Shaya gave her a sleepy smile. “ I told you. Hope you like how your name sounds when screamed in pleasure. “  
The Queen stifled a low laughter. “ Oh, yes, I absolutely love it!”   
Shaya laughed softly and moved, grabbing her from her waist and lifting her, startling her.  
“ Shaya!” Regina squeaked, finding herself sitting on her chest. Her skirt had lifted, showing her dark red panties. The warrior's arms somehow sneaked between her legs, and her hands grabbed her buttocks.   
A lusty grin crossed her face.  
“ You don't mind if I take a little revenge...” she murmured, ripping then her panties with a twitch of her right hand. “ Right?”  
The slight annoyance for having her favorite underwear ripped off was wiped out when Shaya forced her to move forward towards her mouth, and when her tongue started drawing slow circles around her clitoris the only thing Regina could think about was the growing tension that was clenching her core.  
When she inserted two fingers inside her Regina gasped, and lost the capability to breath as Shaya started moving inside her, rubbing an incredibly sensitive spot, leading her close, so close to the explosion of pleasure, just to suddenly stop moving, leaving her on the edge.  
The brunette gazed down, meeting her amazed stare. It was like if Shaya was watching the most amazing, rare and beautiful thing she had ever seen, and it made her temporarily forget her missed orgasm.   
The warrior smiled at her.  
“ I love you.” she whispered before kissing her sex and starting sucking her clitoris, while her fingers restarted doing what they were doing.   
The heat rose again quick in her, clenching her just for a few seconds before that she had to scream as burning waves of unknown pleasure shook her innerly.  
Breathless, Regina found herself leaning over her girlfriend, her hands clasping the sheets. Shaya was hugging her, gently rubbing her back with her fingers, leaving a sense of emptiness on the spots over her neck where her lips weren't leaning anymore, following the path of the thousands of soft kisses she was giving her.  
Regina lifted and turned her head as to look at her. Happy light-blue eyes immediately welcomed her stare.  
She let go the sheets. Leaning forward, she kissed her, a dance of lips, the tongues just barely touching. When they broke the kiss, Regina felt stoned.   
“ I love you.” Shaya repeated in a hoarse whisper, making her smile softly.  
“ I love you too.” she murmured, losing herself in her gaze. She kissed her again, wondering if she would ever manage to stop. It seemed impossible in that moment. Shaya's soft lips, what they could make her feel, her own taste on them, on her tongue.   
Shaya pulled back. “ Are you hungry?” she asked with that ever present hint of worry in her eyes that always warmed her heart.   
“ Yes.” she smiled. “ Of you.”   
As she said it, she was overwhelmed with a sudden need of pressing her body against Shaya's. She needed to feel her skin, her heat, not that annoying high-quality fabric. Regina ripped her own clothes off, then took off the dress by a laughing Shaya. She hastily took off her new shoes, throwing them on the floor, leaning then again over the woman as if she would freeze if she didn't. That was exactly how she felt.  
Shaya confusedly smiled at her. “ Hey, is it all right, honey?” she asked, hesitating to hug her again. Regina furiously nodded.  
“ Yes but now hug me.” she muttered pressing her cheek against her chest, enjoying the low vibrations of the warrior's heart under her ear. She wondered if she could feel it, the scar. If it hurt. She would never forgive herself for what she had done to her.  
Shaya's arms folded her, and she could finally relax. The queen closed her eyes with a soft sigh. She rubbed her fingers against the silky skin of Shaya's shoulder, next to her face. Meeting a dimple, she opened her eyes, gazing at the deep scar.   
She locked gaze with Shaya, following the straight line of the old wound.   
“ I think I know this one.”   
The warrior smirked guiltily. “ Oh you remember it, uh?”  
She glared at her. “ I can't believe that that idiot actually threw an arrow at you.”  
The smirk became a grin, even more guilty. “ She didn't. I injured myself. She just pulled off the arrow.”   
She goggled. “ You did what!?”   
Shaya shrugged. “ I needed you to believe me, honey. It was not like I could come there and ask you to forgive Snow because I believed that the revenge was only damaging you.”  
“ Shaya, you were almost dead when you arrived at the castle!”  
“ Almost.”  
“ Shaya!”  
“ What?”   
“ You could die!”   
“ I could heal myself whenever I wanted it, I just had to call Rumple.”  
Regina rolled her eyes. “ Right, your best friend...”  
“ My only one.” she corrected her, slightly smiling. “ And my savior.”   
“ He didn't save you, he used you!”  
She smiled brightly. “ And I can only thank him forever for it.”   
A snort cracked Regina's annoyance. She stared at her girlfriend, wondering if there was a single thing in the world that could take away that warm smile from her face when it was about their relationship. She slightly shook her head, letting her gaze slid over Shaya's bare body. Regina's hand leaned on the scar caused by Pan's sword.  
“ And this one's my fault too.”   
Shaya's hand covered hers, causing her to lock gaze with the warrior. “ You can't blame yourself for my mistakes.” she murmured, rubbing her hand with her thumb.   
“ You distracted because I was there.”  
“ I'm alive because you were there.”   
Regina opened her mouth to object, but then a memory made her forget what she was about to say.   
“ Your heart shines so bright...” she said thoughtfully, staring at her in awe. Was her love so strong to cover the dark in her heart?   
Shaya's eyes smiled at her while she moved her right arm from her back to caress her face.   
“ Just like your eyes. “   
Regina couldn't help but laugh. “ Yeah, sure... I should have known that True Love makes hearts shine.” she pensively plowed on.  
“ You couldn't, seen that it doesn't.”   
“ How do you know it? And how can you explain then your heart's brilliance?”   
“ Usually, I mean.” Shaya added, playing with her earring, her attention apparently caught by the piece of gold, yet she went on explaining. “ But it's written on the Sea Witch's Handbook: " dark is the path of the ripper of hearts, till the True Love's light in his hand shines bright". We could suppose that it happens only if the heart is ripped out by one's True Love. Especially seen our experience.”   
Regina couldn't hide her admiration. “ You know the Handbook by heart?”   
Shaya locked gaze with her, smirking. “ It's not like I could ask Ursula to borrow it to me.”   
The brunette raised her brow, surprised. “ Wait, you know her?”   
“ How could I have read the Handbook either way?”   
“ But... I mean... She's...”  
“ Basically untraceable? Aye, I know. But if you save a mermaid, she can be very grateful, you know?”   
Regina goggled. “ Did you really save a mermaid?”  
Shaya shrugged. “ The fishermen had wounded her. She was drowning. Absurd, I know.”  
Regina cocked an eyebrow. “ Really?”  
“ Yep.”  
“ Mh. And you did what? You gave her kiss of life?”   
A sneer crossed Shaya's face. “ Jealous?”   
“ Of a fish?”   
The warrior burst into laughter. “ Spend a little time with them, you'll call them fishes nevermore.”   
“ I did, and I still call them fishes. “   
“ Maybe you didn't use that time the right way.”   
“ Oh, seriously? You fucked a mermaid?”   
“ I'd rather say the contrary...”   
“ Shaya!”  
“ What? I didn't know you yet!”   
“ It's not that! Just...” Regina wrinkled her nose. “ Ugh!”   
“ Look, I had spent three months on a ship with stinky men who thought that I brought bad luck when I actually saved their asses from the pirates, I saved the damsel in distress bringing her in a sea-cave and healing her there in secret for about a forthright, it was quite a romantic situation... And when she called Ursula and the witch came there offering me everything I wanted, and I asked for knowledge, she kind of grew fond of me, so... “   
Regina eyes her skeptically. “ Why knowledge? “ she asked, curious. Obviously, if Ursula had offered her " everything she wanted", she would have asked for Snow's head on a plate. Or Ursula's power. Not knowledge. She probably wouldn't even think about it.  
Shaya shrugged. “ There was a war to win. I needed the spell to create a maelstrom. But I was too curious not to give a look at the legendary Handbook.”  
“ "A look"... you know it by heart...”  
“ She gave me three days to study it, I just took advantage of her trust. And never betrayed it.”   
“ What do you mean?”   
“ She asked me to never use that knowledge against the sea's people. “  
“ Oh.”   
“ With people she meant fishes, crabs and everything, in case you're wondering. “   
“ Oh.”   
“ Aye. I had to be very careful in creating the maelstrom. I had to send away every living form before doing it. It was terribly exhausting.”  
“ I see.” Regina sighed. “ If she knew you're with me now...”   
Shaya frowned. “ Why? What happened between you two?”   
“ It's a long story. “ she said with a dismissive wave. “ Let's say that I didn't exactly save a mermaid.”  
Shaya stifled a laughter. “ And this says it all!”  
“ Yeah...” she laughed, glancing down. Old scars interrupted Shaya's smooth skin now and then. Some Regina recognized as caused by swords, but a few others, the eldest, it seemed, she couldn't understand their nature. They were less then ten, spread all over her belly and over her ribs, one really close to her left breast, almost to its side but under it.  
She touched it slightly. “ These seem old.” she said, gazing up at her.   
Shaya nodded once. “ They are, indeed. My second scars.”   
“ Second?” Regina asked, frowned, with a slight sense of déjà-vu hunting her.  
Shaya gave her a tensed smile, then gently pushed her away from her as to be able to turn, showing her her back. It was crossed by some thin, long scars. Lashes. The wound made by Snow's arrow was the only other sign on the fair skin.  
Regina gasped. She stared at her, feeling her heart freeze. “ Shaya... Who did you this to you?”   
But the warrior was slightly smiling, reassuring. She turned again, cuddling her again, moving her face do close to Regina's that the brunette was about to lose focus on it.  
“ I wasn't always the invincible warrior everybody thinks I am. I went on my first battle without having ever really dueled before. It was a half miracle that I didn't die on that battlefield. But they caught me, and, obviously, they wanted to know our next moves. They did what they had to do to know it. But just for two days. The first day, they tried with the whip, and it didn't work. The second, they tried with white-hot iron, and it didn't work. The third morning, probably turned on by the power they thought they had on me, they wanted to try with their own bodies. That's when Rumple saved me, for the second time.”   
“ Why didn't he save you before?!” Regina asked, furious. If she was right, Shaya had to be about twenty when it had happened. It had had to be terrible!  
“ Because...” she calmly explained, following the line of her jaw with her fingers, a touch so light to make her shiver. “ ... he wanted to make a great warrior of me, and he did. A warrior knows her limits. I had to learn mine. A few leashes and burn wouldn't kill me, Regina. The pain was much, but that lesson, I've never forgot it. Months passed before I was on the battlefield again. But, when I did, none could hope to equal my ability with the sword.”   
The queen sighed, touching the scars. It all still seemed unnecessary to her. She wished she could go back in time and burn those motherfuckers alive. They were about to rape her, after having tortured her! She had done horrible things, and, yes, she had raped the Huntsman, but he was a grown man, and she never tortured him in such a barbaric way. The worst she had done to him was squeeze his heart. And, without it, he couldn't even really suffer for being "her pet". Not that it made her actions any better in general, but surely better than the savages that had tortured her girlfriend.  
“ I'm a monster, but I can't accept this. If they were still alive, I'd burn them. I'll punch Gold later.”   
Shaya gave a brief laughter. “ It was the war, honey. They just acted like soldiers used to act. It's not like I didn't tortured to have information, too.”  
“ But did you rape them?”  
Shaya shook she head vehemently. “ No! But... I mean, I think you know how aphrodisiac power can be... I... Sometimes I wished it... It's not like the situation didn't arouse me...” she said glancing down, evidently full of shame. Regina smiled. She was so cute with those big, fearful eyes shyly gazing up at her.   
“ I know exactly how it feels.” she murmured bitterly, cupping her face and locking gaze with her. She mutely questioned her. Regina swallowed. Saying it out loud was harder that just thinking it. It made it real. Shaya was disgusted by rape. She was too, yet she did it. She couldn't erase her past, her actions, what she was. And she wouldn't hide it to her. She had to risk. “ But, unlike you, I didn't hold myself.” she said, taking in a deep breath to gather her courage. “ I raped Graham, the Huntsman.”   
Shaya opened wide her eyes, the obvious surprise. And then, instead of showing disgust and horror, she slightly frowned calmly questioning her. “ The man Emma and Snow were talking about that day?”  
Regina weakly nodded once. She couldn't even think clearly. It was like if all of her feelings, fear, surprise, gratitude, were still inside her, frozen, midair, waiting for something to let them fall down and let her feel them. “ Him. And I killed him.” she replied with broken voice. If there was a thing she regretted, was Graham's death.  
“ Emma said you were desperate, and I believe her.”   
“ I was afraid to lose Henry and...”  
Shaya pressed her hand on her mouth. “ Shush. I don't need explanations. I don't care why you did it. I see how much you regret it, which means you didn't want to do it, but you thought it was the only thing you could do. That's enough for me. “   
She pulled back her hand, and all Regina could do was stare at her, open-mouthed. She had to stop forgetting how much she loved her.  
The kiss was inevitable. It lasted a whole life and a heartbeat, it was sweet and rough, their tongues fought and danced at the same rhythm. Two dark hearts united by the same light.  
They kissed until they couldn't feel their lips anymore. Regina pulled back, staring at her soul mate.  
“ There's a thing I want to ask you from a while.” she said.  
Shaya nodded once. “ What are you waiting for?”  
“ I just didn't have the time to do it.”   
“ Well, now you have it. Ask.”  
Regina smirked, amused. “ How do you know all those things about me? And my mother? Did you know her? Did Rumple told you?”   
She frowned. “ No, no... Errrr... Actually I... I spied you.” she confessed, pinching her lips with embarrass.   
Regina rose her eyebrows. “ You spied me.”   
She swallowed. “ Aye. “  
“ How long?”  
“ Uhm... some months...”  
The brunette cocked an eyebrow.   
“ Alright, maybe more... “ Shaya admitted, glancing down.  
Regina inhaled deeply. She felt somehow violated. Not only Leopold, but even she had kept her under control. Was her diary so interesting?  
“ Why?” she asked, letting her rage show in her eyes. “ Couldn't you just introduce yourself like any normal person?”  
Shaya eyed her, her brows knitted. “ And tell you what? Something like: " Hello Your Majesty, I'm Rapunzel, I love you, can you not kill me please"? I needed an excuse to approach you!”   
She stifled a laughter. “ I didn't kill you when you came to me!”  
“ Only because I knew how to defend from your fire!”  
“ Okay, that's true...” she had to admit “ ... but you had just killed the assassin! How should one react to that? What should I do, welcome you with a hug and offer you a drink?”   
“ No, no, you're right, I would have done the same! But still, be honest, even if I hadn't killed the Bogeyman, would you have trusted me? Or, better, if I actually hadn't killed him, would you have trusted a mercenary coming at your palace and asking you to kill Snow White for you? For money? Because I wouldn't. For a better offer I could kill you instead of her, don't you think? Why on earth would you trust me?”  
She thought a bit about it. She would have probably done the same reasoning, and that somehow scared her, whatever way she looked at it. Did Shaya know her so much to be able to think like her? Or was she so predictable?   
“ You're right, I wouldn't. Not offering you money, but...”  
“ But you'd rip my heart out and force me to do it? But, really, Regina, it's not like you knew me. I tell you what you would know: a hundred years old mercenary, probably mad, who killed her brother when she was six, asks you to kill a young princess after having left the battlefield she was fighting on since the year before. And now I tell you what you'd have thought: she saw the reward, saw the great opportunity, and she went to the popular princess, asked for a higher reward and then came to you only to gain your trust. She'd kill you when she'd come back to the castle, pretending to have killed the princess, and cutting your head off instead. And that's why you'd rip my heart out. Except that I wouldn't let you do it, thus confirming your suspects. And that's why you'd kill me right away. “  
Regina stared at her, astonished. Again, either she was highly predictable, or Shaya was hella perceptive.  
“ How do you know all of this? Is this the reason why you waited?”  
She nodded. “ Aye. And I know it because it's logical and a bit contort, which sounds much like Regina to me. “ she softly laughed, making her smile.  
“ Okay. But... I could have thought the same things when you killed the Bogeyman...”  
“ Aye, but there were less possibility for you to do it. I mean, I had killed an hired assassin in front of you, showing you that he wasn't enough for that mission, for you. Why take the trouble to do it? The risk to be killed by you? If I wanted the money, I could just let him kill the girl, kill him later, in the woods, and bring you her head. Why risk so much for so easy money?”  
She took a moment to think about it. It was a fine logic, yes, but she could have really killed her.  
She stared at her. “ Alright. “ she said “ You're crazy enough to be with me. Maybe you can survive, after all. “   
The blonde stifled a surprised laughter, her eyes shining. “ Oh, you finally got it?”  
She slapped softly her shoulder, smiling while she leaned her cheek against it then. “ I just had the confirmation that you're as manipulative as I am myself.” she said gazing at the dark sky outside her window that was shaking with Shaya's laughter's rhythm.  
“ Usually I am not, but with you... I had to be subtle.”  
“ I noted.”  
“ No, you didn't, and that's why I'm alive!” she objected laughing, making her laugh in turn. She turned her head to look at her. That was right, she was alive only because she didn't know that she had actually saved Snow. Wasn't it? But still, Regina didn't forget the feeling she had felt since the first time she had met the girl. Safety. She had trusted her since the very fist moment. And now, in her arms, staring at those gorgeous deep, limpid waters that showed her her soul, she could enjoy that sensation fully. She had always had to watch her back. Now she knew she was safe, because the person she loved, the person who loved her as anybody had ever done before, was there for her.  
“ Did you ever get your revenge? “ she asked after a long, relaxed silence, starting playing with a golden lock, caught by its color.  
Shaya slightly shook her head, pursuing her lips. “ Nope. That's why I was that angry that day. I had just known that the Regent had died, poisoned by his wife. She was hung the day after his death, so I couldn't even congratulate with her and slap her face. She stole my revenge!” she laughed, although tensely. “ Bitch!”  
Regina burst out into laughter at that rant. She didn't know what she would have done if she was Shaya. At least, for twenty eight years, she had head her vengeance.  
“ When did it happened?” she asked, curious, and relieved by her laughter. The pain had disappeared from her eyes, bright as the summer sky now.  
“ Errrr I was like... Twenty five. I was less than five miles from him, that's why we had conquered that citadel. It was a strategic point of observation. Far enough not to be seen, close enough to send spies to know what was happening in town. I punched that poor man who gave me the news.” she laughed again, making her smile. Her laughter was beautiful, fresh, even though a bit harsh. It talked of wilderness.  
“ You seem to have taken it quite well...” she smiled.   
Shaya pulled her closer to her, making their bodies touch, wrapping a leg around hers.  
“ I just don't care anymore. You're the only thing that matters now.”  
Regina smiled, overwhelmed. She stared at her, losing herself once again in that loving gaze. Oh, how she would spend her life in this lipid, fresh, calm waters...  
“ What have I done to deserve you?” she asked in a whisper, smiling.  
The warrior smirked, rolling over her, kissing her.  
“ Something horrible.” she said with a chuckle that mixed with her happy laughter.


	34. Take me back

Shaya laughed hard at Emma's words.  
“ Really? You really dared to do such a thing?”  
Regina nodded, smiling although glaring at the Savior. “ Oh yes, she did! She did, and there with that satisfied grin on her face she faced me and was like... “ Regina stood up, radically changed her posture, lowering her shoulders and leaning a bit back. “ Yo come after me one more time I'm coming back for the rest of this tree."“ she said, imitating the blonde's voice weirdly moving her head forms side to side, without bending her neck though, in the general laughter. Her eyes glittered in amusement. “ " Because, sister, you have no idea what I'm capable of."“ she plowed on. Emma was leaning her head on the table, hitting it with a fist, trying to catch breath from the laughter. “ "Your move."“ she concluded, leaning forward to an invisible herself. She then recollected her posture, gazing at the Savior with an amused smirk, and sat down. “ Like, really Emma, I had to force myself not to laugh. If I wasn't that angry for my tree, I would have doubled up.”  
“ What? No no no no no, sister, you're lying like shit!” Emma exclaimed, her face red as never before, as Regina's words had finally made her catch her breath. “ You liked it! I saw it, don't you ever try to deny it, I saw it, you wanted to be challenged! I intrigued you.”  
“ Oh, heavens forbid...” Snow exclaimed, covering her face with her hand.  
Emma snapped open her eyes. “ Not in that sense!”  
“ Mh, such a pity...” Killian commented, taking another sip from his pint.  
Regina glowered at him. “ Oh, please...”  
He grinned at her, making her pinch her lips in anger. Shaya reached for her hand, tangling her fingers with hers, catching her attention. Her black eyes softened, and she squeezed the warrior's hand as to reassure her.  
“ But you really remember it well! Like, those were my exact words, Regina! So don't try to say that it didn't strike you!” Emma continued, taking the loved gaze away from her.  
“ I can't deny that the idiocy of that action stroke me.”  
“ Oh, come on!”  
Regina gave her a victorious sneer and Emma slowly shook her head, snorting.  
“ It wasn't that idiotic if it worked...” she grumbled quietly.  
She didn't see the smirk Regina gave her, but Henry, sitting next to his natural mother, right in front of the adoptive one, did, and he smiled wildly when Regina winked at him.  
They had had to move a table next to one with the benches to be able to stay all together for lunch. Belle and Rumplestiltskin were sitting at the table for two together with Killian, who was awkwardly avoiding Rumple's gaze since the beginning, David, Henry and Emma at one side of the biggest one, Snow, Regina and Shaya at the other side.  
“ Here we go guys!” Ruby exclaimed with a huge smile serving them the giant baking tray of lasagna they were about to share.  
Regina skeptically stared at it. “ Let's see if the granny can do better than me...”  
Snow stifled a laughter as she started cutting the portions, glancing at her.  
“ Actually, Regina, you're a granny, too...”  
The two of them stared at each other for a while, Snow with the knife mid-air upon the lasagna, Regina glaring at her. After some silent, tensed moment, Regina evilly grinned.  
“ And so you are, dear.”  
The laughter that filled the diner expressed so much relief that they even knowingly smiled at each other.  
Snow served Regina first, then Henry, Emma and the others. She then grabbed her glass and raised it.  
“ To the family!” she exclaimed with a wide smile on her face.  
David was the first one to raise his glass. “ Cheers!” he said, clinking it against hers. Everybody's cheer followed. Shaya gazed at the woman at her left, leaning a hand on her thigh under the table as they smiled at each other. She had never seen her eyes shine so much.  
Belle suddenly thumped her glass on the table for the haste to lay it down. She swallowed the sip of beer that was filling her puffed cheeks and gazed directly at her.  
“ Shaya, I'm really, really curious to know your story!”  
The warrior knitted her brows.  
“ What? I though you'd read of it?”  
“ Oh, yes, I did, but that was just a tale.” she glanced at Henry with a leery smirk on her face. “ And we kind of know that books aren't always reliable...” She squeezed Rumple's hand, glancing at Regina.  
“ Yeah. My face isn't that large...” Snow complained frowning, making Emma almost choke on her lasagna as she bursted out into laughter.  
“ And, to be clear, I never thought you were prettier than me, dear...” Regina said smirking devilishly. Snow narrowed her eyes, pretending to glare at her, but she was smiling.  
“ That's only because you never used your mirror to actually look yourself in the mirror.”  
Regina cocked an eyebrow and slightly opened her mouth, faking to be outraged, but being really surprised, it seemed. Her lips tensed then in a grin.  
“ Touché.” she said, giving Snow the time to feel the taste of victory before destroying her. “ I was too busy making plans about your new haircut for the curse, indeed.”  
Snow's face fell, and she opened her mouth to reply but evidently nothing good came to her mind as she shut it, pouting.  
“ I-I like this haircut.” she grumbled after a while, making Regina laugh.  
“ Yes, of course...”  
“ Shaya, please, end this!” Belle pleaded her, smirking. “ Tell us your true story!”  
“ Yeah, right!” David said enthusiastically, slamming a hand on the table. “ We only know that you're a badass with a sword!”  
“ And that you're older than you look, like the seventy-five percent of this table!” Emma added. At Regina's surprised look, she grinned. “ What? Did you think I was only a cute face? I can do maths!”  
The brunette rolled her eyes and shook her head. “ Emma, dear, I think that if you say again that I think that you have a cute face, either your mother will stab me with her fork, and it wouldn't even be the first that it happens to me now that I think about it, or she'll stab herself with the before mentioned fork.”  
“ Why can't I use my knife?”  
“ Who stabbed you with a fork? Did you stabbed her with a fork?” Shaya asked stretching behind Regina to look at Snow. She shook her head in deny.  
“ No, Ariel stabbed her with a fork.”  
“ Ariel?! That Ariel?” Emma asked giggling.  
“ It's always that one, momma.” Henry said, gazing at her like if she was eleven and he was twenty-nine.  
Regina gave him an amused smirk. “ I'm so happy you didn't inherit her brain...” she said stretching over the table to caress his face as he laughed.  
Emma glared at her.  
“ Who's Ariel? Why did the bitch stab you?”  
They all laughed at Shaya's questions. Snow was about to spill the beans when Regina spoke.  
“ Who cares, dear? Now, tell us about you. I don't know what exactly happened to you either. I'm quite curious, too.” she smiled, making her forget what she so intensely wanted to know with just that sweet gaze.  
“ Aye, maid! Tell us, how did the Golden Death become the Golden Death?”  
“ Yes, Shaya, pleeeeaase!” Henry pleaded her, making her smile with those big, green, questioning eyes. “ I love your stories!”  
She let her gaze wonder over all of them, dubious.  
David incited her. “ Come on, don't be shy!“  
“ Indeed! I want to know the truth about you!” Snow added, the excitement that lit up her face.  
“ Please, Shaya! “ Belle smiled, stretching her hands on the table as if she wanted to reach her. “ I want to correct those books!”  
This made her laugh again. She locked gaze with the only one who had never spoken yet.  
Rumple sneered at her.  
“ Come on, dearie. Don't make them wait!”  
She snorted, glancing down. Could she do it? Could she tell them the story of her life without shocking the boy? Without scaring them? Without getting hurt? She glanced at Regina. Her patient, waiting smile made her suddenly understand that nothing could change what she was feeling right now. That special warmth and sense of completeness that came from being there next to her, from being able to touch her, feel her heat at her side, look into her eyes and know that she was happy there with her family and with her, and that she loved her back. Her past was just a memory that meant nothing more than a preparation for her present day, a sad tale with a happy ending that had just become a beautiful beginning. So she smiled, and her smile became a challenging grin when she looked back at Belle.  
“ Okay...” she said, using that weird term she had lately learned. “ You want a story? Here's your story, my little stubborn friends.” she said, taking time to pitch her voice, find the right rhythm, catch their full attention. “ But, be careful, you daring fools... “ she plowed on, locking gaze with each of them. As she leaned forward on the table, they involuntarily did, too, and so she knew that they were hers. She sneered again, pleased. “ ...The story you're about to hear it's a crow's warbling, a song written in blood with a golden pen, the screams of the war horns slipping from the hands of walking dead men... “  
The silence was so thick that nobody could breath, not until four enchanted words would have left her lips riding a winged whisper.  
Shaya smiled, enjoying their wait, breathing it in before breaking that magic moment. Everybody, in that weird tavern, not only the ones sitting at that table, was waiting for her to go on.  
She glanced at Regina one last time, then leaned her challenging stare on the one who had asked for that. With a smirk, she let the magic of the words fill their mind.  
“ Once upon a time...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Shaya" is over. Thank you for reading ;* Ciao!


End file.
